RWBY X Berserk: Worlds Collide
by ayylmao10
Summary: Stories passed through time. One is about a man who cleared the land of Remnant before kingdoms. Before Grimm. It was said that when the world needed him again he would return. Here he is, the Branded Swordsman. End of volume 3 AU. (Will change title when I have a better one)
1. Chapter 1

The field was grassy green with small patches of flowers every few spaces. Trees were off in the distance leaving the area to explore. Guts was walking through the meadow needing to take his time to himself away from his party. One would think this field is a place of beauty and happiness. But not to Guts, the Black Swordsman. This field would be a battleground by the time night rolled around. A battle not fought by men, but by Demons. The swordsman kept walking through the grass noticing it got higher and made a slight crunch beneath his feet. This was also when he started to notice the trees he saw earlier in the distance were right beside him and that the air went from warm to slightly cold.

"What the hell is going on here?" He said to himself drawing his gigantic blade. The Dragonslayer. Watching his surroundings Guts paid close attention to the trees noticing that they started to grow withered and died, dropping their leaves to the ground.

It was then that Guts heard a bird calling from behind him. Being alarmed he quickly turned around to see the Crow flying away, startled from the quick movement. Watching the bird flee he began to see white flakes dropping all around him. Upon looking at the ground he saw that snow had formed at his feet. Confused, Guts looked around again and noticed he was deep in a forest and had a trail ahead of him.

" _I should head back"_ he thought to himself. Guts turned around and began walking back to his group not knowing he wouldn't see them for a long time.

A few miles north a small cabin laid in an open patch of land. It was the beginning of winter and one young soul had a large journey to begin. Ruby left a handwritten note on her bed saying her goodbyes to her father and Yang, leaving her signature rose at the end of the paragraph. After the attack on Beacon and the discovery of her new power the "Silver Eyes" Ruby and Yang were brought back home by their uncle Qrow. Qrow had found Ruby unconscious on top of Beacon Tower after going to find the person who was supposed to be the new fall maiden. Not finding the Guardian but only the destroyed weapons she used and his niece, he decided to take them home. Yang's arm had been cut off from the leader of the White Fang in an attempt to save her friend Blake. But after failing so her arm had been severed before she could even land a hit on the attacker.

Ruby walked down the hallway and stopped in front of the room Yang was staying in and whispered "I'm leaving now sis. Please stay safe." Ruby had a sad look on her face knowing her sister wouldn't be joining her on this journey but she couldn't stay sad, she had people to meet. Leaving her house she was met with familiar faces which brought a small smile to the red haired girls face. "Hey." the first person said. It was Jaune, Ruby's first friend she made at Beacon. Though they weren't on the same team they still had their moments together. "Hey Jaune." Ruby greeted. "Haven is a long way to go."

"I know. But it's the only lead we have." Going to Haven was the last thing on Ruby's mind after she was brought home. But from a tip her uncle gave on the enemy's whereabouts she planned ahead and recovered. "And you're sure you wanna come along?" She asked. Before Jaune could say anything another boy cut in causing them both to look at him. "The journey will be perilous and whether we find answers at the end is entirely uncertain." The boy in green said. Lie Ren was on Jaune's team. He was the closest person Jaune had to a brother, and though he didn't talk much he was still a friend to Ruby.

"But we wouldn't be here if we weren't up for it." The orange haired girl said with a smile filled with encouragement. Nora Valkyrie, the only person who was more energetic than Ruby. She had orange hair and used a gigantic hammer. She was also apart of Jaune's team and was Ren's childhood friend. Though she was strange she was fun to be around.

"Then let's get going." Ruby said. The new team began their new journey. One that would hold many hardships and new turns in life. But what they didn't know was that an old legend, one told generation after generation would become a reality much like the Four Maidens. That of course is the story of the Black Swordsman.

 **I'm back! After taking down my other series I'm putting this back up for a re-write. See ya next time.**


	2. Chapter 2

"I can't find Guts' od!" Schierke panicked. The little Witch paced back and forth trying to reach Guts telepathically. "This isn't good! Guts is gone!"

"What? He's gone!?" Isidro asked "Whaddya mean he's gone?!"

Guts had been gone for only a few hours and the party was beginning to grow worried. "Can't you trace his spirit with your magical spells or something? Like following his scent like a dog?" Isidro asked making his trademark monkey face.

"I'm sure she tried that already." a new voice cut in. It was Serpico and behind him was Farnese and Casca. "Where did Guts go before he disappeared?" Serpico asked.

Schierke thought for a moment before remembering what Guts had said to her."He told me he was going for a walk in the meadow!"

The group began to walk where Guts once was, they noticed his footsteps in the grass. "No sign of a struggle." Serpico pointed out. "Nothing here is destroyed, which means he wasn't fighting."

"Farnese please set up our things here. We will keep looking for Guts." Serpico told her as he drew his magical sword. "Okay. But please be careful." Serpico nodded and left with Isidro and Schierke heading for the trees.

The air grew colder and began to smell different as Guts walked through the forest. "Where am I?" he thought to himself. Noticing that the forest had been bigger than he thought and realizing he should have been in the meadow by now Guts began to grow suspicious and pondered the thought of an enemy setting an illusion on him. That was when he noticed something in the trees. There was a rustling sound coming from his right. Looking to his side with his hand on the handle of Dragonslayer, Guts saw two red eyes peeking at him. He took no time drawing his blade and taking a battle stance. "Come and get me!" he yelled at the monster. The Grimm didn't need to be told twice as it jumped out of it its hiding spot and swung its claws. Guts was surprised at the Grimm's appearance. It hadn't looked like anything he had ever fought before, but that didn't stop him from cutting it in half with his sword. The Grimm fell to the snow covered ground and laid there, not even blood being spilt. Guts was observing the strange beast and noticed it had bone like plates and spikes all over its body and had black fur and looked like a small bear. The beast started to dissolve away into the wind and its body was also decaying at a rapid pace. This surprised Guts momentarily but he was quickly drawn back when another Grimm attacked at him. Bringing his sword up again to slash at it he quickly realized there were more. Swinging his sword around, this was a feeling that felt all too familiar to him. Countless Grimm bodies fell and decayed away at his feet which Guts was thankful for concerned that the bodies would get in the way of his footing. After impaling another beast the horde died down and Guts sheathed his sword. Looking around he noticed that a whole area of the forest had been destroyed thanks to him and the Grimm. Trees were broken and snapped many bushes destroyed and even the grass was kicked up beneath the snow. It had occurred to him now that while the monsters were close to him the brand on his neck wasn't throbbing in pain or bleeding. "That's weird. Schierke didn't even put the spell on it." Finding a direction to follow Guts began to walk following a stone path hoping it would lead to a village of some sort so he could finally find out where he was. After several minutes of walking Guts looked towards the sky and noticed smoke arising. He began to run towards the source of the smoke. As he began to get closer the village he saw people fleeing from more of of the beasts he was fighting from earlier but noticed that there wasn't as much. "Guess I should help these people out. Maybe I could get information." Guts thought to himself as he drew attached the repeater crossbow to his mechanical hand. He began to fire at the Grimm and watched them fall to the ground. As Guts reloaded the crossbow he heard a loud banging sound not far from where he was. Looking over at the source he saw a man wearing a mask that covered the top portion of his face and looked similar to the Grimm attacking the village. The man was also dressed in a gray outfit that looked unfamiliar to Guts much like the weapon he was using. It worked with range but also had explosive capabilities. For now he decided to name it some type of canon. Assuming he was helping with the beasts horde, Guts turned around and drew his blade.

Many dead Grimm later Guts looked back towards the man, but he quickly rushed towards him as he realised he was getting shot at. Guts zig zagged out of the incoming attack and once he was close he impaled the attacker. Guts felt the sword shift in movement as if it slid across a surface. If this were any other demon or man they would have been dead in a matter of seconds. But this man was different, the Dragonslayer did not go through his body. It instead jabbed at the man's aura and blew him away from where Guts was standing. 'What the hell! How is he not impaled!' Guts mentally cursed. The man flew on his stomach revealing his back to Guts who saw an engraved symbol. It had the face of a red creature and had three strikes going down the middle of it also in red. This was the symbol of The White Fang. The man got back up with his weapon in hand. "That fucking hurt man! But now you're dead!" the White Fang member shouted as he drew his gun and aimed at Guts. Before he could fire Guts had already closed the distance between the two of them but this time he swung his sword from the side hoping to cleave him in half. He swung with full force and was satisfied when his blade went through and pierced his skin all the way through cutting him in half. The body or bodies fell onto the pavement and blood was being spooled all over the ground in a red puddle. Upon looking at the corpse Guts also noticed the strange weapon. It was a mechanical ranged weapon that looked small but deadly based off of what Guts saw the man doing with it. That was when he noticed there were more of the same people he just killed. They were harassing the villagers and shooting at the Grimm. As Guts moved in to kill them he was stopped when a loud blaring noise was heard above him. Looking up he saw a strange ship that looked enormous and was shooting more of those strange explosive rounds at the members who were attacking the villagers and at the Grimm. Not wanting to get killed in the crossfire Guts ran out of the way and hid behind a rock peeking slightly at the battle being fought. He saw the White Fang members shooting back at the ship before they got taken down by the units that were on the ground. After the attackers were arrested or killed and the Grimm were gone people came back and observed the wreckage of their homes. Some people cried some were angry. Guts began to walk to a stone statue that was by, what looked like to be a church. "Sir." a croaky voice called out. Guts turned around and saw an old man being supported by a younger man with his arm around him. "You saved my life! That damn White Fang member would have killed me if you hadn't stopped him!" The old man thanked. "Please come with me to my home. I can give you a meal and a place to rest for tonight. It's the least I can do." Guts didn't reply but eventually nodded and followed the old man and the younger man to his home. Observing the village and the people they seemed different from back home. The clothing was a bit upgraded and not to mention the weapons. "I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Dean the village leader here. And you are?" the leader asked. Guts was silent as they continued walking before he decided to tell him his name. "Guts." he replied.

"Well that is quite the odd name." Dean remarked "No offense by the way." they shortly arrived at Dean's home. "Hey, where am I?" Guts asked as he took a seat in a rather comfortable chair. Looking around the home it seemed even stranger than it was outside. There were many objects and items scattered around the house that Guts had never seen before. Not to mention the extremely bright light burning above them. "We are on Patch of course! A small island off the coast of Vale!" Dean explained opening a big white box that hand another light coming from inside of it. Guts just assumed it was a very bright candle or torch. "Patch? Vale? What the hell? Where am I?" he thought to himself. "Listen old man, can you just get me back home? To Midland?"

"Midland?" Dean asked "Where in the world is that?" he asked as he set down a plate of food in front of Guts. The food was one of the only things that wasn't different. Peaces of beef mashed potatoes and bread. Guts rose up from his seat and asked again. "Midland. The kingdom." Guts repeated becoming very annoyed and slightly worried. Dean and the younger man looked at him with questioning looks on both of their faces. "You're not from around here are you?"

"I'm starting to think I'm not." Guts said sitting back down. "What the hell is Patch? And Vale? Where am I?" Guts asked again slightly raising his voice.

Dean looked confused but began to explain quickly not wanting to anger the swordsman. "Patch is a small island. That is where we are right now. It's off the coast of Vale. Vale is a kingdom." Dean went on to explain the Geography of Remnant to Guts who just had a face of disbelief. "I know someone who might be able to help. Go a few miles North of here. A man by the name of Qrow might know something. You'll know him when you see him. He has a huge sword, though not nearly as huge as yours." Dean pointed at the Dragonslayer. "And he reeks of alcohol. Though I can't blame him after what he's been through."

"Thank you Dean." Guts thanked as he walked out the door. "There should be a small cabin there! That's where he tends to stop by every once and awhile." Guts nodded and began walking north in search of the man known as Qrow.

Entering the woods again Guts kept up his guard not wanting any more of those gang members attacking him or any of those beasts. Dean had informed him all about this world's upgrades in technology and who the current groups were. There was the Atlas military, the academies at the four kingdoms, and the White Fang a terrorist organization. The sudden change in atmosphere and world style was overwhelming but eventually he would get over it. Or so he hoped.

 **Hope you enjoyed!**


	3. Chapter 3

Four teenagers were walking along a frozen stone path. Ruby, Jaune, Nora and Ren had just began their new journey. If they were going to Mistral for Haven they would need to take a Bullhead there. So they quickly decided to try and get to the air strip.

Not long after they left Ruby had wanted to visit her mother's grave one last time since she wouldn't know when she would be back. "Hey guys.." Ruby piped up breaking silence of the four. "If it's alright I'm going to stop by my mom's grave before we leave patch." She looked at her new teammates hoping to get an answer.

"Sure." Jaune answered. "We still have time before the Bullheads are ready to leave. Lead the way." Ruby smiled and nodded. Beginning to take them to the small burial where her mother lay at rest.

The gravesite was at an flat open mountain top that overlooked the ocean. Near the edge was a small tombstone with an engraving of a rose and the words "Thus kindly I scatter."

They neared the site before Jaune held up his hand to Ren and Nora feeling they should give Ruby a minute alone. Walking up to the stone and pulling her hood over her head Ruby began to whisper a few words before staying there silently.

"Mom." she started "I'm going on a journey with my friends." She imagined her mother's response in her voice.

"I see. You're not taking your sister with you?" she imagined her mother asking.

"I can't bring Yang with me. I'll be safe though. I have good friends with me and I don't know when I'll be back. So for now mom this is goodbye." Ruby pulled her hood off and walked back to her friends. When she turned around she heard a small faint voice saying "Stay safe my little rose." Ruby turned around alarmed expecting someone to be there. But nothing was.

"Ruby? You ready?" Jaune asked

"Yeah." she replied. Heading off to the path.

Taiyang Xiao Long has had a hard life in the recent decades. After having his first daughter Yang with his wife Raven whom is also Qrow's sister he thought life couldn't get better.

That was until he woke up one day and noticed Raven wasn't with him. After calling around his former peers and his other teammates: Summer, and Qrow they began to search for Raven. But they came out empty handed and Tai fell into a small depression. That was until Summer, the leader of team STRQ came by his side and comforted him and also helped him take care of Yang also with his brother in law Qrow.

Eventually they fell in love and Tai had Ruby. Seeing how his life came back on track he began to grow happy again. Everything went by quickly in a few years. One late evening Tai was waiting for Summer to come back from a mission. Though they had lives to live they still had to perform their duty as Hunters. Tai got a call from an unknown number picking it up he answered.

"Hello?"

"Yes is this Taiyang XiaoLong?" The voice on the other end asked.

"Yes it is who am I speaking to?"

The next words the person spoke would forever singe itself into Tai's mind.

"I am a doctor from Vale. Your wife Summer Rose has passed away."

The next few years were a blur. Qrow began to drink his life away only stopping by every once in awhile to see the kids. Ruby had taken it the hardest, being as young as she was not knowing the magnitude of what happened. After Summer Tai decided that he would protect his kids no matter the cost. But here he is now with a depressed daughter with a missing arm and another daughter who ran away only leaving a simple note.

Tai walked into Ruby's room holding her breakfast and saw the note lying on the bed with a large amount of her items missing. "Oh no." he let out softly as he dropped the tray of food and ran down the hall. He ran passed Yang's room and saw her staring out into the winter forest from her window. Tai stopped in his tracks and slowly let himself into Yang's room.

"Sweetie I-" Tai got cut off from Yang interrupting him.

"Leave me alone. I know Ruby left she told me she was leaving." Tai looked surprised.

"And you didn't tell me?! Ruby is in no position to be running around out there! I'm going to find her!" Tai left the room leaving Yang to herself just like she wanted.

Gunshots were heard in the distance. Upon walking closer to the sound Ruby and her team saw members of the White Fang defending themselves from Grimm. "The White Fang!" Ruby said to her team. "Why are they on Patch!?" Jaune and the remainder looked at one another.

"They couldn't have tracked us from the attack could they? Back in Beacon? But why would they want us anyway?" Jaune added in. "It might not be us they want." Ren cleared up in his usual calm manner. "They could just be here on their own business. Not anything good mind you but maybe not here for us."

It was the White Fang who had released Grimm into the city of Vale and Beacon academy. The White Fang began attacking students, staff, and even Atlas military members. But after that dragon was released and began attacking everyone the White Fang pulled out and left Beacon to be infested by Grimm and lay in ruin. The Atlas military General Ironwood was able to establish a safety zone in Vale and was starting to slowly build back up and hopefully retake Beacon.

"We can take them guys! It's only a few of em!" Nora laughed as she readied Maginhild.

Still keeping their distance the four of them pulled out their weapons. Ruby pulled out her Scythe: Crescent Rose, Jaune pulled out his sword and shield: Crocea Mors, Ren slipped out his twin automatic SMG's with attached sickle blades: StormFlower. And of course Nora had her big Hammer: Magnhild.

They began to charge towards the thugs closing the distance ready to battle. But before they could get in reach a black blur flew in front of them and attacked the White Fang members.

A loud roar was heard throughout the forest and probably all of Patch. One that struck fear in the bravest of Hunters. It was a Grimm roar. Jaune looked above him, it was a giant Grimm. Not as big as the Death Stalker but still big. It had the similar form of a gorilla and was far more barbaric than any other Grimm. It picked up the White Fang members and tossed them around like they were toys before throwing them into the nearby river.

"Split up!" Jaune called out as he ran a different direction the others soon doing the same. Letting her semblance carry her, Ruby hid by a tree and looked through the scope of Crescent Rose getting an observation on what they were dealing with.

The gorrilla smashed a nearby statue crushing it with a single swing. They found themselves in a village that was under attack. "I thought the military cleared our village!" a local guard called. "Where are they anyway! They just left us after we got attacked a few hours ago!"

"Atlas was here? This place just got attacked?" Ruby thought to herself before finding a target and firing at it.

Jaune opened up his scroll and called to his teammates.

"Guys! That weird Grimm is destroying everything! We need to stop it! Nora shoot at it!" Jaune commanded.

Not wasting time Nora transformed her hammer into its grenade launcher form and fired at it. Magnhild let off a pink stream of smoke as the mini explosives hit their target but it only agroed the new Grimm. It roared louder and let off a deadly screech as it picked up a large rock at its feet and threw it towards Nora who in return quickly transformed her weapon back to its hammer form and swung at the incoming boulder, breaking it into pieces as it collided with the top of Magnhild.

"Hahaha!" Nora laughed as ruble landed around her.

"Ruby can you shoot at it? We need to distract it!" Jaune said as he took care of a beowulf.

"Yep! I got it" Ruby replied back as she fired shot after shot from Crescent Rose. The Grimm being distracted looked towards Ruby's direction.

Ren charged towards it and began to fire his SMG's as he got closer he ran around its feet and tagged it with the attached blades cutting the Grimms ankle area and causing it to fault to the ground but that didn't stop it from attacking. The giant Gorilla grabbed Ren in its hands and screeched at his face.

"Ren!" Nora cried. She started to run towards her friend. Ren was tough but he wasn't tough enough to withstand being crushed by a Grimm this big.

"Hmp! Hrhk!" Ren struggled trying to pry himself from its iron grip but failing to do so every time. Just as he was about to pass out from the pain a quick movement came before him followed by a metallic CLANG and he was shortly released from the death grip. The four of them saw a man with a sword that was way too big to be held by anyone. A sword that would put Yatsuhashi and Sage's to shame. It had a very basic design but in the middle it had what looked like scales carved into the metal. He was wearing a black cloak with weird looking armor and had a mechanical hand that looked ancient. The Gorrilla Grimm fell against the ground causing the snow to flail upon the force. Guts looked at the green boy behind him seeing a look of relief on his face.

10 minutes earlier…

Guts had traveled a decent distance from the village. He began to think about how he was going to get back. And the behelit came to mind. "No, I won't use that." Guts angrily muttered to himself.

Looking up he saw the same airborne ships that were leaving the village. "Bullheads" Dean had called them while he was explaining the advanced technology of Remnant. The bullhead let off a loud blazing sound as it took off at greater speeds. Guts continued walking on in search of the man named Qrow who might know something about where he is and how to get back home. Recalling the details given to him, he was searching for someone who carried a big sword and reeked of alcohol and also stayed at a nearby cabin. Looking up in the distance Guts saw a figure on a horse, it was the one thing that made him feel a little bit more at home. It was the Skull Knight.

Approaching the metallic man Guts called out to him.

"So you're here too."

" _Yes. I am here Struggler. For the same reason you are."_ Skull Knight replied in his usual echoey tone.

"Same reason? You can get me home can't you?" The both of them were silent not saying a word until Guts decided to speak again.

"I guess you can't. Damn."

" _The magic here is different. And the evil of this world prevents me from using the sword of Actuation. Which is also why I am here."_

"The evil?" Guts asked.

" _A friend of the Five Angels lurks in this world and she is the reason why you are here."_

As soon as Skull Knight mentioned the Five Angels Guts' eye widened. Everything he had seen during the eclipse was coming back to his mind. The Hawks being led into that hell. Judeo, Corkus, Pippin, Caska. Griffith... The very thought of him drove Guts with pure anger remembering his bright smile and long flowing white hair and the look in his eye. He gritted his teeth.

"Where is she?" He asked getting angry. The Berserker armour had activated from Guts' rage acting up and with Shirke not with him there would be no way she could pull him out and bring him back to who he was. Just as he was about to become fully engulfed he was drawn back by the Skull Knight speaking again.

" _The Crow and the Silver eyes will lead you to her. They are the key to the destruction of the evil here."_ Skull Knight began to walk away but before disappearing he said one more thing. " _The one with Silver eyes is at the village. She can take you to the Crow."_ Skull Knight then walked away disappearing completely.

"Back to the village huh?" Guts said to himself turning around and starting to run back to where he came from.

 **Hope you enjoyed! See you guys next time!**


	4. Chapter 4

When Guts arrived back to the village he saw four teenagers fighting another huge creature. Even with the new things this world has, nothing will not surprise him. While observing their fighting styles at first Guts noticed that the blonde boy was the most useless. That was until he heard him calling all of the orders and saw that the others began to execute them quite well.

"Guess he's not all that useless." he muttered while watching. He continued to watch until he noticed the girl in red. he saw that she used a strange ability to move great distances with a short amount of time. "That must be her 'Semblance'." Guts thought before noticing her huge Scythe. "Interesting."

Guts moved closer to get a better look at the battle but noticed a boy in green circle around the creature's feet and was able to cut its ankle causing it to slightly falter but not completely. It grabbed the boy and began to try and crush him. Noticing that his teammates were taking to long to save their friend Guts moved in and saved him.

And now here they were.

There was only one thing on Ruby's mind currently. The huge sword that lay in front of her eyes. It was bigger than her, bigger than Jaune and was so heavy that not even Nora could swing it.

"Wow!" Ruby's eyes gleamed. She ran over to the man and started to ask him questions all retaining to his weapon.

"What does your sword turn into? How big is it? How much does it weigh?" Despite all the things she went through Ruby could still act like a child, even at a time like this.

Guts ignored Ruby's babble and looked toward the village. Not even two hours had passed and it was under attack again.

"Hey. The village is still under attack. We're not done here yet." Guts told the hyper girl as he picked up Dragonslayer and ran towards the village leaving the four to catch up.

"Hm. Is that guy a Huntsman?" Jaune wondered catching up with his team.

"Probably. Though his gear didn't look all that advanced." Ruby pointed out.

"Well, maybe he just likes the old style!" Jaune muttered remembering all the times he got picked on at Beacon for just using a sword and shield.

"Ohh Ren! Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?" Nora worriedly asked sitting down beside him.

"Nora I'm fine." He assured with a small smile. "And he's right. We're not done here yet. The village is still under attack." He said standing up.

The four of them ran off in the same direction as Guts, not noticing that the new mysterious Grimm had not decayed yet.

Upon reaching the village they noticed many things. Fire was spreading to the houses, people were running around frantically trying to find a safe place. The local force was doing the best they could to defend but drastically needed help. Ruby saw all of this chaos going on and her instincts immediately kicked in. "Ren! Jaune! Help get the people somewhere safe! Handle the small fry and defend!" She ordered.

The two boys nodded and ran off. "Nora. Handle the bigger guys. I'm gonna get somewhere high and see where I can help."

"You got it!"

Nora ran off and immediately brought her hammer down on a unsuspecting Grimm. Ruby saw what looked like an old tower used for look-out purposes and she headed there and let her semblance carry herself to the top of it rather quickly.

At the top she looked through the scope of Crescent Rose picking off any Grimm but was also looking for something. Someone.

Guts was surrounded by Grimm. Most people would be frightened. But not a Hunter or Guts. Drawing Dragonslayer he had a slight grin on his face and began to swing. Taking three of them out with each swing. He repeated this until he began to notice more and more were coming after him. With one killed it was soon replaced by two more Grimm. Swinging his sword yet again he cleaved through the beasts like they were nothing. He grabbed the crossbow and slinged it on to his prosthetic arm and began to fire. Only a few Grimm fell but of course, but more came and replaced them. But one in particular had caught his eye. It was another uncommon one. But this time it had represented more of a Boar with large tusks. The next thing it did caught Guts off guard.

It began to roll up into a ball like shape and began to spin and launch itself at Guts. As it collided with his armor a few sparks let off and he was pushed back and hit a nearby house nearly going through the wall. Coughing up blood Guts used his sword to pull himself up and looked at what had pushed him with that much force. "The underside of its belly! That's the only vulnerable spot!" a voice called out to him.

Looking up he saw the same girl who was all over his sword. "It's hide is too tough to break!"

The beast began to charge towards him again. Guts lifted his sword and remembered his previous fights with people who had high durability. There was Father Mozgus whom he was able to beat with a small crack in his shell and there was also Grunbeld whom he was only able to beat with the Berserker armours powers. But without Schierke here he couldn't be brought back.

The beast was also a-lot smaller than he was so that made it slightly easier. But Guts decided to try his luck with breaking it through and cleaving it in half.

The beast made its way in the same direction and Guts raised the Dragonslayer above his head and waited for the right moment to strike. As it moved closer he brought down the sword and cut through the tough hide and through the creature. Guts definitely felt the durability but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle after what he's fought before. After it decayed Guts looked around and saw Ruby looking at him with wide eyes and a slightly open jaw obviously amazed at what she just saw.

"What! Wait! How did you just!?"

"Save the talking kid we still have things to do." Guts said to her.

Ruby shut her mouth and headed off to the Church with Guts following right behind. Jaune and Ren were doing well with keeping the smaller Grimm away from the village guards and citizens. The plan was to have everyone file into the Church and wait until the Atlas military came back. Among the crowd inside was the village leader. Dean. He had gotten injured by a Grimm while rushing to protect a little girl who had fallen during all the chaos. He had a large scratch mark on his back and was bleeding quite a bit but his aura was helping with the wound. When Ruby and Guts got there he saw many people injured but still moving. He was amazed that none had died yet but when he saw Dean he ran up to him. "Are you alright Dean?" he asked.

Dean looked up and saw Guts standing over him. A bandage was applied to his upper body and he had many small cuts on his arms and face. "I'm doing the best I can. Did you find Qrow?"

"No. But I-" Guts was cut off as a familiar sound was heard. It was the same creature whose hand he had cut off to save the boy from being crushed. It was back. Turning around Guts ran out of the Church. "It can't be the same one can it? I cut off its arm. The monsters here are weak. It should have died with that single injury." He thought to himself.

As he exited the building he saw that it indeed was the same beast as before. The arm he had cut off was left a stump and it seemed more angry. It thrashed about and sent many projectiles flying and collapsed some on the still standing houses. The fires had died down about now thanks to Nora and Ruby but the destruction was still there. Inside the Church people were yelling and screaming at the horror they saw outside. They had hoped the five Hunters could stop it.

It was early morning in Midland. It had been 13 hours since Guts had disappeared and the group was extremely worried. While searching for Guts last known location in the meadow Schierke had sensed a strange mix of magic and spirits. She had spent a few hours trying to crack the spell but only made little progress. Puck and Isidro were still asleep after a long night of searching and Serpico, Farnese and Caska were sitting at the campfire.

"Any luck?" Serpico asked.

"No. The only thing I found was a trace of a strange magic spell and a few od. One of them is Guts'." Schierke replied sleepily.

"He didn't go through the Qliphoth did he?" Farnese asked as she handed Caska a piece of bread who began chewing on it immediately.

"I'm sure he didn't. I would have known."

The group sat in silence picking at their meal. Schierke began to concentrate and work her magic to try and reach Guts telepathically.

The Gorrilla Grimm was nearly dead. After being overwhelmed by the heavy hitters: Guts and Nora and the side distraction by Ren and Ruby it was quickly taken down and had decayed this time making sure it wasn't coming back.

The villagers came out of the church building slowly and looked at the destruction the Grimm had left. Many buildings and structures were either burned to a crisp or in ruin. Dean had come out of the church with the support of a crutch and the same young man from before supporting his other side. "Thank you Guts. You saved us yet again." he thanked as he wobbled over to him. "So what were you going to ask me?"

Remembering what had happened before the Grimm had come back he replied instantly thinking about what Skull Knight had said.

"I need more information. Do you know where I can find something called the Silver Eyes?"

Ruby perked her head up overhearing their conversation. "How do you know about those?" She asked as she walked up to Guts and looked him in the eye. Guts looked at the short girl and noticed the color of her eyes. 'How did I not see it before?' he asked himself.

Dean piped up again. "Silver Eyes? Isn't that some form of a legend? I can't imagine why you'd need them but. Ruby here should know a thing or two about them." He said looking towards the caped girl.

Ruby looked at the two of them before asking Guts why he would need her. "W-why do you need me?"

"I need you to lead me to a man named Qrow. He knows how to help me."

"What do you need help with?"

Guts was getting a little impatient but dealt with it. "It's a long story. Can you just get me to Qrow?"

Ruby nodded. Soon the rest of her team showed up and were informed of the situation.

"Guts here needs to speak with your uncle Ruby. He has information that could help him." Dean began to explain.

"Help with what?" she asked curiously.

"Getting home. You see, Guts isn't from around here. Not from Remnant at all. A different continent."

"Ahh, I see. Well Uncle Qrow did say he would be in Haven. So I guess you could just come with us?" She suggested looking over at Guts.

"Guess I have to." he replied

 **Hope you guys enjoyed! Thanks for all the support and see you guys next time.**


	5. Chapter 5

After their plan was figured out: Head to the airfield, get on a Bullhead and get to Mistral where Qrow said he might be, they headed off. "Goodbye guys. Stay safe." Dean said standing from the porch of his home. "I hope you get back to your home Guts. Thank you for your help."

He nodded and headed off. Walking with his now new group. Ruby the red caped Scythe wielder. Jaune the tall blonde and somewhat useless teammate. Nora the energetic orange haired hammer wielder. And Ren a calm fast and quiet boy. The five of them set off for the airfield.

"Sooo.." Ruby began as they continued to walk. "Can I see your sword? Please?" she asked looking up at Guts face. He was about to decline her until he decided he should probably play nice since he still doesn't know much about this new world and these would probably be the only people who could help him. Sighing he unlatched Dragonslayer and swung it around and held it in his hands.

Ruby's eyes shined as she looked at the giant greatsword in front of her. "Ohh! How did you make it! Does it turn into anything? Why is it so big!?"

"Ooh! Its bigger than Yatsuhashi!" Nora exclaimed.

'Geez they talk a lot. Almost more annoying than Puck and Isidro.' Guts thought to himself remembering all the times those two were going up in arms. Though he would give just about anything to be back with them. "This doesn't make any sense." a calm voice said from behind. They all turned around to see Jaune looking at Guts. "You said your not from our continent. How are you here?" He asked getting slightly suspicious. "And why would Ruby's uncle know anything?"

Guts couldn't give any details about what Skull Knight had said not wanting to alarm them about the source of evil in this world.

He shrugged and said. "The village leader told me to talk to him. So I guess I have to tag along with you now until I find him."

The fact that someone from another world was now with them and was going to be joining them on their journey for answers was a bit of a surprise at first. But they had other things to worry about. Like what was awaiting them in Mistral. They continued to walk until the shattered moon rose into the sky. Guts looked up and noticed how bizarre things were in this world. Something as simple as the moon was vastly different in this world.

"Pretty strange right?" another calm voice asked. This time being a different one. It was the black haired boy. Ren.

"Yeah. It is." Guts replied turning back to face the path but not look at his new companion. While walking away from Ren, Jaune had noticed all of the odd equipment Guts had on him. He looked like he was on a hunt that would last for a decade. Bringing all types of survival gear and small objects. Not to mention his armor and what ever he kept in his bag.

"Is there anything else that I need to know about this world?" Guts asked the blonde keeping his gaze on the path as they walked.

Jaune was puzzled for a second. Surprised that the intimidating man was being so neutral.

"U-uh. The monsters here are called Grimm. And uhh.. There's a different species of people here called Faunus!" Jaune informed. "Faunus are people who have animal parts to them. Like cat ears, a monkey tail of even antlers! But a lot of them received hate and now a lot of Faunus are apart of a terrorist group called the White Fang. They attacked that village earlier today. They also ambushed our school." Jaune said quietly.

Guts simply nodded at the new information and kept walking.

"So uh.. whats up with all your small items you keep on you?... Your throwing knives and that dagger not to mention the stuff you have in that bag of yours.." Jaune asked awkwardly.

"It's to survive. Fighting the darkness that drowns my home. What about you? You seem useless for using that sword and shield when you have all these new weapons."

Jaune shrugged not knowing how to reply. His act of attempting to talk with Guts failed. Ruby stopped. "Let's make camp here tonight!"

After getting a small fire started they set up a large shelter with nothing but a tarp over their heads and the trees around them. They all opened up their bedrolls and laid down. They all seem to keep their distance from Guts though.

' _The people here are weird. They just met me a few hours ago and are already accepting me as a member of their group_.' Guts thought to himself.

"I'll take the first watch." Ren offered. They all agreed and went to rest, but not Guts. He chose not to rest until he was comfortable in this place.

It was in the early hours of the morning and Guts had not rested at all. He sat up against a tree trunk with Dragonslayer at his knees. Telling Ren he could rest, he sat in the dim forest by himself. The only source of light being the small embers from the fire. It was uneventful until there was a sharp pain in the base of his skull. He already knew who it was. Schierke.

" _Guts are you there?! Guts!"_ Schierke shouted.

" _Schierke! I'm here. What took you so long to get to me?"_

" _Guts! Thank goodness! I'm glad you're okay. Where are you?"_

" _I'm in… a different world. It's weird here but I'm fine. How's Caska? Is she alright?"_

" _Yes she's fine. So are the others. We're just worried is all. But different world? How is that even possible?"_

" _I don't know. Can you get me back?"_

" _No. I can't. There is some type of spell that prevents me from entering the world. The magic is strange also. I would be able to counter it if I had more time."_

" _Shit. That's what Skull Knight said."_

" _The Skull Knight is there? Why?"_

" _Something about the evil here. It's what's blocking you from getting here."_

Red eyes began to appear from the bushes in front of him. He knew the Grimm were about to attack. He got up and readied his sword.

" _Schierke I have to go_."

There was no response. Guts assumed the communication got interrupted.

"Get up." he called to his group. "The Grimm are here."

It was nothing more than a small pack of Beowolves. Truthfully Ruby and her team could have taken them out while half asleep but with a newcomer on their journey they wanted to see how he fought.

During the fight the only real thing they noticed is that Guts just swung his sword rampantly but also used his tools. Keeping that in mind they headed off, the airfield not being far.

Being in the new world for only a day but with constant fighting and not even sleeping for a minute was taking a toll on Guts. He was exhausted but kept trudging on, determined to get back home.

The airfield was a large strip with a few hangars and bullheads. But today it was heavily guarded by the military. Approaching the front guard Jaune asked "Can we pass through? We need a flight to Mistral."

The guard looked at Jaune and then the rest of them. More specifically Guts and how out of place he looked among the kids.

"Are you people Hunters?" The guard asked as he kept staring at them all.

"Yes we are. We have urgent business in Mistral." Jaune continued.

"Sorry kid but due to the attacks we can't let anyone through without official business."

"What!? B-but we need to-"

"Scram dammit! I already told you I can't let you through!"

Sighing with defeat Jaune led them away and they sat at a bench thinking of how to get off of Patch. "What about a ship? A boat or something that can get us to Vale and then we can keep going." he said

The group was pondering any other ideas but came up short. "All right Jaune. I guess we sail." Ruby said.

The docks weren't too far from the airfield. But when they did arrive conditions weren't that great either. They couldn't find a ship to Vale but only to Atlas. And the next ship wouldn't be until two weeks.

"Guys...I got some bad news." Jaune said with a defeated look

"What is it?" Ren asked approaching Jaune.

"The only ship we have is to Atlas.."

The three of them looked at Jaune with damned expressions. Guts being the only one who didn't catch on. "Is that a bad thing?" he had asked.

Jaune looked at Guts. "Yeah. It is. We have to go North instead of East. Which means we have to take a small detour in getting you to that guy Qrow."

"Shit, How far of a detour do you think?"

"I'm not sure. Guys? Is there anything you might need in Atlas?"

Ren and Nora declined. Why would they wanna go North? It was already cold where they were and going to Atlas would be even worse. Ruby however didn't respond right away.

"Uh. Ruby? You in there?" Jaune asked tapping her on the shoulder.

"Weiss.." She whispered. "We can get Weiss!" she said happily.

Recalling what her sister said Weiss had been taken home by her father fearing that she was in danger. And Blake had fled when she had gotten the chance. Leaving Yang to mourn Pyrrha's death alone and also left her in a depressed state.

Jaune smacked his fist into his other hand. "Yeah! We're gonna need all the help we can get. And with Weiss with us it should really help out alot."

"You guys up for it?" Jaune asked turning to Ren, Nora and Guts.

The former two nodded and Guts just shrugged. "If it gets me to her uncle."

And with that they boarded the ship headed for Atlas. It wasn't a legitimate ship for bringing people but was meant for bringing cargo. Military grade cargo and even shipping things for the Schnee Dust co. The captain was nice enough to let them aboard since they protected the village. Ignoring all the peoples stares, Guts sat down a little more away from his group. He began to hear them talking about this 'Weiss' girl. Talking about past memories and how the blonde guy kept hitting on her for the longest time. Ignoring them he began to look around the ship. They were in a decently sized room with a few chairs and a window on each side of the room revealing nothing but the ocean. There was a small shelf that held a few books but that was about it. For now Guts decided to get some rest thinking that this ride would be uneventful.

For once he wasn't dreaming about the horrors of the eclipse. He was dreaming about going on this little side journey. Reaching that place they called Atlas, finding Ruby's uncle Qrow. And fighting the evil. He saw a woman stand before him. The monsters he fought before made this woman look normal. Except she wasn't. She had facial features that made her look like a Grimm and was even speaking. But if what Skull Knight said was true, that she was a friend of the God Hand than she was a foe to be taken seriously. He also saw a figure standing in an open field. The snow was gone and the grass was green, the only source of light being the shattered moon as it reflected off the white cloak the figure was wearing. As it turned around Guts saw the person's face. She looked exactly like Ruby, but was also different. She was older and a-lot more matured. The figure smiled lightly at Guts and faded away in the night breeze leaving nothing but a trail of rose petals. A single rose petal landed in his good hand and he grasped it. Then he was quickly awoken by the feeling that something was rustling in his bag.

Guts awoke and looked around quickly. He saw his bag had fallen and his things were scattered about. His mechanical arm was bandaged. He must have done it without realizing that this ocean might not be the same as the one in his world. He also saw Jaune holding the behelit. "Don't touch that!" he said angrily moving and swiping the egg from his hand.

"Whoa whoa! Your stuff just fell and I was picking it up! I swear!" Jaune brought up his arms and looked away. The commotion had caused the others to wake up. With the exception of Nora.

Guts ignored Jaune and began to pick up his things. With his slumber ruined he had decided to leave the room they were assigned. Returning back to his seat Jaune began to mutter to Ruby and Ren. "What is that guy's problem? I was just helping him out!" he complained.

"You know Jaune, maybe he's just going through a-lot of things right now. I mean he's lost he had to fight for his life. And then he has to join us! People he doesn't even know and probably won't trust now." Ruby said.

Jaune just sighed and tried to go back to sleep letting Guts cool off and he would apologize to him tomorrow. Outside on the ship Guts was walking around and observing the cargo the ship was carrying. There was lots of big metal shipping containers that had what looked like a snowflake on it and under it said the word "Schnee". Guts was observing the symbol but eventually grew bored of it and carried on. He found himself leaning against the railing overlooking the sea thinking about his dream. " _Who was that woman and why did Ruby look like her? Was she a parent? A sister?"_ he thought to himself. " _And that other woman. The one that looked like a Grimm. Who the hell was she? Is she the friend of the God Hand?"_

Guts was still thinking when he heard a loud thump and felt the ship rocked back and forth. Looking over the edge he saw something big. And of course as he expected. It was an aquatic Grimm.

The Whale like creature jumped out of the water and and let off a loud noise. Loud enough to wake all the people on board. Ruby and Jaune rushed out to see what was happening. And they stopped dead in their tracks followed by Ren and Nora who did the same. All five of them had their eyes set on that thing. It fell back into the ocean and water splashed up and dissipated into the air. "Holy cow! Did you guys see that?" Nora yelled through the noise as people were rushing around and getting ready to attack.

On the ship were some turrets and lots of guards that were never seen until now, it was probably in case of the White Fang attacking. They all manned their stations and began opening fire on the Grimm. In the midst of the gun fire Guts watched Nora leap onto Jaune's shield and fire at it, propelling herself into the air as she shortly came back down and struck the top of the water borne Grimm. Ruby and Ren were firing at it along with the crew members while Guts and Jaune did nothing but watch.

"Uhh it sucks being so useless!" he whimpered to himself. Guts however noticed that the Grimm wasn't taking the slightest of damage. Nora hopped back into the ship, her clothes wet from being in the water. "Brr! That water is freezing! What should I do now Jaune?"

Before he could say anything Guts had leapt off the boat and had his sword in hand.

"Guts!" Jaune called out.

Landing on top of the it and impaling it. Guts felt Dragonslayer cut through the Grimm's head. He didn't care if his arm rusted or not. He knew the technology in this world could fix it and it would be fine. Dragonslayers blade kept going through its head until Guts' hand was all that was left of the handle. Pulling it back out he leapt as the Grimm tried to smash itself into the boat causing itself to sway and lose more than half the cargo it was carrying. "Shit! We lost the cargo! Ironwoods gonna have our heads now!" A crew member shouted.

If he hadn't jumped when he did he would have gotten crushed under its weight and be left to drown. Hopping back aboard the ship and looking back out, Guts saw that a giant wound was inflicted thanks to him and everyone was now shooting at it.

"Nora shoot at its wound!' Jaune commanded. Nora did so and upon her third explosive being fired the Grimm sunk into the water and decayed.

"Phew! Good work everyone!" Ruby said. "Only a few hours to Atlas!" And with that everyone went back and the only ones left on the outside were the five of them.

"Guts I saw what you did out there! It was so cool!" Nora complimented. "He just jumped right onto that Grimm's back and stabbed his giant sword through it! I didn't expect that!"

"You know Nora that's something I'd expect you to do." Ren said with a light laugh. "Good work Mister Guts."

"Just call me Guts. And thanks."

Ren nodded as they walked back to their room. Atlas was only a few hours away and they needed to get to Weiss and see if she could join them and also arrange a bullhead to take them to Mistral. As they sat in their room Guts saw the four of them looking at one of those square devices, Scrolls Dean called them. It sounded like they were recalling old memories.

"Haha! Look! You were in your blue onesie for a week that time!" Ruby laughed.

"Ughh. I remember that." Jaune muttered. "Oh hey! It's that picture Sun took of us after we had our food fight!"

The picture was of teams RWBY and JNPR bruised and messy after nearly destroying the dining hall after an all out food fight. Yang had just fallen through the roof and held up a peace sign with her right hand as she laughed along with Pyrrha next to her. The sight of those two suddenly brought up sadness as Jaune put away his scroll. Ruby was looking down at her feet and Ren and Nora were silent. Guts was confused at the sudden mood change but left it alone as the captain spoke over the intercom. "Alright everyone we are arriving at the Atlas docks! Prepare to board off and load the crates!"

"We're here." Guts said standing up. The others rose up. "Let's get your friend."

 **Hope you guys enjoyed! I really think the next chapter(s) have really improved. I've been working on my writing style a lot and I hope its good. Till next time.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry for the shorter chapter. These next few might also be the same. But anyways who's excited for volume 4? I am!**

 **Enjoy.**

After gathering their things and thanking the captain for letting them on board and also apologizing for losing some of the cargo. They headed off, walking on the docks and observing all the things Atlas was exporting and importing. Many Dust crates with the same Schnee snowflake symbol on it as well as normal resources like food, water and what looked to be military grade equipment.

"Boy, Atlas sure is busy." Jaune pointed out. "Where do we find Weiss?"

The group had arrived to an area that looked similar to downtown Vale. High buildings, cars in the streets, lots of open cafe's outside and of course. People everywhere. It made the village they defended look a lot like the stone ages.

As they made their way people were looking at Guts. At this point he had gotten used to people staring at him and his group. As long as they didn't bother him he was fine. When they reached one the tallest buildings in Atlas Guts looked up at the sign. It read: Schnee Dust co. and had the same snowflake symbol that they had seen everywhere.

" _Guess it's from here."_

"Ruby why are we here?" Jaune asked. "I'm pretty sure Weiss doesn't live in her father's work building."

"I know. She said she has a really big castle like mansion out towards the countryside. It's not too far from downtown though. I'm here for something else." Ruby said as she entered the building with the others behind her. Guts however did not follow. Instead he was looking at the cars passing by him.

"You guys go on ahead. I'll stay out here."

They nodded and went inside.

"Hello. How can I help you today." the secretary asked her.

"Yes. My name is Ruby Rose. And I'm here for Winter Schnee. It's urgent business."

"I am sorry miss but I cannot let anyone upstairs without proper invitation. Unless you have proof of Miss Schnee expecting you I'm afraid I can't let you through."

"What?! C'mon lady just let us through! We need to see her!" Jaune complained.

"I am sorry I cannot do that. Now please leave before I call security."

Sighing with defeat they turned around to leave. Walking towards the door they heard a new voice call out. "Wait!"

They turned around and saw her. Winter was in her standard military uniform with a sword at her hip and her hands behind her back.

"You there. In the red. You are Ruby Rose aren't you?"

"Ah! You remember me!" Ruby ran back towards Winter. "Where is Weiss?! Can I see her?"

Ruby began to ask dozens of questions before Winter was able to respond. She held up her hand signaling the red girl to stop.

"Unfortunately due to my father's orders my sister Weiss has to stay at the estate."

Ruby looked like she had been stabbed through the heart. The disappointed look in her face shot through Winter and filled her with pity. "Look. I can't get Weiss to come downtown anyway. But I can give you directions to the home." Ruby looked up.

"R-really!? That's awesome! Where do we need to go?"

"I can give you the back entrance. If you try entering through the front they will not let you in regardless if they know you or not. Due to the increased White Fang attacks after Beacon they seemed to up security. Especially on the mines. But the workers there trust me. Give them this when you get there." Winter reached into her pocket and handed Ruby a small pendant that had the Schnee logo on it. It shined under the light.

"To get to the closest mine you will take this road up and when you reach a gravel road follow it until you find a fenced area. Those are the mines. Show this to the guards and they will let you through."

"But why can't i just go through the front if I have this?"

"Trust me, it's a-lot safer this way. And with this you will have to walk into the mines. Ask for a Faunus by the name of Jeff. He can guide you through. And when you come through it you will find yourself in a small opening. Keep following the dirt road from there and you will be at the back entrance to the Schnee mansion."

"Wow! Thanks so much Winter!"

Winter smiled and returned back to where she came from. Before heading back up she looked out the window and saw a tall man dressed oddly. He had a black cloak and was carrying what seemed to be a sword. His hair was black except for a streak of white. The group headed outside and talked to him.

"Interesting. They know who that strange man is."

When Winter got back to her office there was a report on her desk. It was about the shipment that just came in. Opening up the document and skimming through it Winter saw that half of the cargo had been lost due to a Grimm collision caused by a man with a black cape who was with a group of Hunters. One of the more noticeable things listed was that a girl with a red cloak was also with the man. Winters eyes widened as she put it together in her mind.

"So I guess we head up this way right?" Ren asked. "Until we come along a dirt road."

They headed off and continued to talk about old times leaving Guts out. After all they didn't know him that well. That was until Ruby began to talk with him.

"So Guts! Where are you from?"

"...Not around here."

"Well I mean yeah… but where?"

Guts didn't answer her. Ruby was silent for a moment but didn't give up on getting to know her new teammate.

"Well can I see your arm then? Your prosthetic."

Moving his arm out of his cloak he showed her his arm. It looked ancient compared to the technology here but Guts decided to keep it. Ruby was examining all the screws and small details that made up the limb.

"So does this have any weapons with it?" Ruby asked eyeing each and every little detail.

"I have a crossbow I can mount on it." Guts replied leaving out the hidden canon.

"Ooh! Cool. Hehe. Ya know I'm a real big weapons kind of person. Soo maybe you could let me do some work on your arm sometime! I bet I could add all sorts of cool stuff to it!"

Guts pondered the idea thinking it would be interesting to return home with a tech advantage. It could make fighting apostles easier. But he decided to not let the hard work put into it be for nothing.

"No thanks Ruby. But I appreciate it." She smiled at the slight progress being made.

Looking at his neck Ruby noticed the brand. "Hey, what's that scar on your neck? And how did you..lose your eye?" She asked hesitantly.

"It's a long story. I don't see why you'd care either."

"Well…. I just wanted to get to know you.." she quietly let out.

" _Great, I try playing my luck and he just gets annoyed with me again."_

Even with a year going by meeting new people Ruby still couldn't hold a conversation. Let alone start one.

They continued walking until the dirt road Winter mentioned had appeared. They took the turn and continued to walk.

"So have you ever been in a Dust mine Guts?" Jaune asked him.

"No. But I can't imagine it would be any different than another mine."

"Well you'll be surprised man! I take it you haven't seen Dust before?"

"No. Dean told me a little bit about it. What is it?"

"It's used as energy here. We use it in our weapons and as fuel. It's another thing that helps us fight the Grimm."

They arrived to the gate. And it was being heavily guarded just as Winter said it would. There was lots of guard towers and small posts set up with spot lights. "You there! State your business!"

"We're here to arrive at the estate! Winter Schnee sent us with this."

Ruby pulled the small pendant from her pocket and showed the guard. The guard nodded and let them through before stopping Guts. "You there. Did Winter send you too?" The guard asked suspiciously.

"Yeah she did. I'm with those kids." Guts replied pointing to them.

"Alright go on through." Guts kept walking until he caught up.

" _What the hell was that guy's problem?"_ he thought.

They entered the mines to see Faunus and Human workers running small machines and small colorful crystals sticking out from the wall.

" _Those crystals must be the dust they use_." Looking at them while they walked Guts noticed that the conditions the miners were in seemed like they were slaves.

If all the people and machines weren't in the way one would think this cave is beautiful. But also very dangerous as the Dust crystals are explosive.

"Is there a guy named Jeff here?" Jaune called to the workers. None of them looked at him until one Faunus in particular looked rose up. "Yes thats me. Who are you?" Jeff was a tall deer Faunus who had antlers. He couldn't be more older than 35 but working in the mines had taken a toll on his body.

"Winter sent us and she said that you could take us to the Schnee mansion. We need to get there now." Ruby explained.

"Sure I can get you there. Follow me." he said with a smile.

Back outside a pack of large Grimm was circling around the fence. The guards had sounded the alarm but due to the noise in the mine they couldn't hear it.

The defenses quickly fell and they began to fall back and request for backup. The soldiers ran into the cave with the Grimm following behind them.

"So if you don't mind me asking. What do you need to get to the estate for?" Jeff asked.

"I need to see someone. It's the heiress." Ruby answered.

Jeff let out a whistle. "Well I don't know if you can get in. I heard she wasn't supposed to leave the house and any intruders are to be shot on site."

Ruby didn't care. She was this close to seeing Weiss for the first time in months. The only thing that could stop her would be a plate of warm cookies or herself dying trying to see her friend.

When Ruby was about to answer she was cut off when she heard a loud explosion from behind her. It was a Deathstalker that had gotten into the cave. The mine rumbled and shook as crystals began to fall from the walls. Many miners were now running about trying to flee from the Grimm. Some fell to the ground and were almost trampled upon. Luckily the guards who weren't running for their life picked them up and helped.

"What the hell! How did a Deathstalker get in here?!" Jeff yelled as they began to run.

"I guess those guards couldn't defend. That figures." Gues snickered as he ran along his team.

"We can't lead it back to the house! We have to fight in here!" Jaune said as they came to an opening in the cave. The group spread out and readied their weapons.  
"We just can't get a break can we?" Guts said drawing his sword. Jeff looked at the sheer size of it. It was in pristine condition shining as the small glows of different colors from the crystals reflected off of it.

Guts noticed that many crystals littered the floor and were by the Grimm's feet. An idea came to mind. "Hey. You guys go ahead. I can deal with this one. You two get people out of here. Faunus guy where do I go to get out of here?"

Jeff was slightly offended that the bigger man didn't call him by his name but shrugged it off. And pointed in the direction they were headed. "Behind us, this way. Follow the signs!" Guts nodded and waited for them to leave. He turned back and saw their receding figures. That was when he knew it was safe. The Deathstalker attacked with its stinger like tail, Guts dodged the attack and slashed at it's claws. Dragonslayer cleaving through it cutting a chunk off. It attacked again with its stinger but this time when it missed Guts, it got stuck in the ground. It was able to attack using its other claw. Guts dodged again and brought down his sword on it. Cutting off the actual claw. Still struggling to pull out its stinger Guts was about to land the killing blow in it's face. That was until he noticed more Grimm behind it. Looking for an easy way to get rid of them he remembered how explosive he heard the crystals were and decided to try it out. Running towards the exit Jeff described Guts took out a few of his mini bombs, lit the fuse and counted to three.

"One… Two….." The bombs still sparking. "Three!" he yelled as he threw them into the pile of crystals and let them explode. The mini bombs explosions led to the Dust crystals reacting to it and caused even more explosions. Some fire let out followed by lighting strikes all around. The cave shook as Guts ran his way out. Another loud crack after another and before he knew it the cave collapsed behind him. Crushing away the Grimm and any dead bodies of the miners. Rocks fell and blocked the path back and dirt crumpled from the top.

" _Guess we can't get back in there."_

It didn't take him long to notice the light coming through from the end of the tunnel. So he headed out and was greeted by the survivors.

 **One thing I want is for this story to have as much volume 4 canon as possible. SO newer chapters may or may not take more time come out since we have to watch the show. Cheers.**


	7. Chapter 7

The people outside felt the bigger rumble, shaking the ground for what felt like the longest time. Ruby began to grow worried that Guts wouldn't make it out, until he emerged from the debris covered in dirt and dust visibly tired from running. Guts's group saw him and ran up to him.

"Geez man! You scared us!" Jaune said.

"What was that explosion?" Ren asked. The four crowded him and was bombarding questions left and right.

"I blew up the cave to block the Grimm. I exploded the dust crystals." he explained.

The guards were already communicating with Schnee headquarters in downtown Atlas. They had said 'A man with a black cape destroyed the mine causing the Grimm to be trapped.'

Winter was on the other line and as soon as she heard of the caped man she left immediately wanting to pursue him.

"The Schnee house is not much farther. Keep heading out of this clearing and you should be there soon." Jeff said as he observed the guards hastily talking to one another.

"Thanks Jeff! Sorry about the mine too..." Ruby apologized.

They left the area disregarding the commotion between the workers and the guards still trying to gain their composure. Guts was thinking

"Who's your friend that we're picking up?" Guts asked the group.

"Her names Weiss! She's a really good fighter and has a rich family!" Ruby began.

Guts regretted asking her, forgetting how talkative the girl was.

"She was my partner but then we got separated… But now here we are! We're going to see her again! She might be uh… a little mean when you first meet her but she's not a bad person!" she defended.

Schierke stood up. "I got it!" she yelped.

Puck, Isidro, Serpico and Farnese all looked at her.

"Hwaa?" Isidro asked groggily. "You find Guts?"

"No. But I was able to recreate the spell. And now I should be able to go into that world!"

"Really! Awesome!" Puck cheered.

Isidro and Puck began running and skipping circles around each other happily singing out loud. Schierke looked worried though, She was only able to figure enough of it out to where only she would be able to transfer.

"So when do we enter this new world?" Isidro asked gathering his things.

"Y-you can't." she admitted. "Only I can."

The two fell silent in disappointment.

Serpico put his arm on Schierke Shoulder.

Looking up he gave the witch girl a soft smile. "You can do this. Bring Guts back." he said encouragingly.

She nodded and walked off giving herself space. She drew a giant symbol in the ground and dropped a few items in place. She concentrated her od and felt the presence of another spirit. Several moments passed by until she began to fade as a bright light broke out from inside her.

"You better bring Guts back safely!" Isidro called out. "And come back soon!"

The light faded like a fire being doused by water and Schierke was gone.

She felt her od dematerialize itself and then rebuild, she looked all around and noticed many different things going on at once. She saw tall buildings with fire set to them, Strange creatures attacking people whom which had even stranger weapons. Schierke scanned this world for Guts. Finding a vague location she immediately went.

In a small forest clearing a bright light appeared and died down as quickly as it came. Schierke landed onto the ground, It was winter and there was a reasonable amount of snow.

She looked at her surroundings not seeing much, only dead trees with snow covering their thick branches. She breathed in the air of the new world, the crisp winter air setting up the hairs on her neck. In the distance she saw what looked to be a mansion. The little witch girl headed off for it not noticing two individuals right behind her.

" _Guts! I'm in your world! Where are you!"_ she asked telepathically.

Sitting in the trees two figures were shocked at what they had seen.

"How the hell did she do that?" a gray haired boy asked.

"I'm not sure. But we should follow her, Even if Cinder didn't mention her." the green haired girl answered.

The group continued walking. Guts felt another searing pain in the back of his head.

" _Guts! I'm in your world! Where are you!"_

" _Schierke?! I'm headed towards a mansion. It's winter where I am."_

" _Mansion! I'm headed there too! Is it white?"_

Guts was grinning. Knowing that Schierke made it into this world meant she must be able to bring him out.

" _I'll meet you there!"_ Guts said as he began running towards the Schnee mansion.

He picked up the pace and began to cover more ground leaving his group behind.

"Wait up!" Jaune called out. Guts couldn't wait. Meeting Schierke and having her with them would be a huge advantage and nothing was going to stop him from seeing her. The snow was kicking up beneath his feet and Guts saw the house. It truly was a mansion. Getting closer he saw it become bigger in appearance, It was pretty much a castle that was perfect for the 'Ice princess' as his group described their old friend. He reached the property and took a look around. There was a big garden with a small path to walk around the house, Many of the flowers withered and died but a few were still fighting on. Snow covered the top of the bushes and the few statues that were about.

"Schierke!" he shouted. Not getting a response he continued looking for her growing more anxious by the minute. Until he was stopped by something. Someone.

A flash of white appeared and had some sort of fencing sabre with it. If Guts wasn't so focused on finding Schierke he would have spotted the incoming attack. The blade collided with his armor and slid off of it not even leaving a scratch but making a noticeable attack. Jumping back and having his hand on Dragonslayers hilt, he took a look at what he was dealing with. He saw a woman with white hair, a unique uniform put on and held her sword in a dueling stance. Next to her was a tall man also with white hair and even a white mustache. Guts could tell they were related. "So. You're the bastard that blew up my dust mine." the man groweld

"And you are also responsible for destroying Atlas military cargo. Are you not the Caped swordsman?"

Guts looked at her weird. He wasn't expecting that nickname.

"I don't know who you are. But get out of my way!"

Team RNJR had just caught up and they saw the tense atmosphere surrounding the three of them. "Winter. Apprehend this man at once." he ordered.

"Of course father." She said obediently. The tall man walked away giving the two of them space to fight. They were in the garden of the Schnee estate. Weiss and Schierke were close, nothing was going to stop Ruby and her friends or Guts.

"Winter! Wait!" Ruby pleaded. Winter didn't take her eyes off Guts though. She wanted to make him pay for what he had done. Sure the White Fang had taken cargo from the military before, but the lost shipments would definitely take a take a toll on the situation now. They lost so much back at Beacon and they were counting on what was on that ship.

"I will fight you… Black Swordsman."

 **Thanks for reading. Next chapter will be up sooner as a sorry for this shorter chapter.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thanks to FineChyna for beta editing this chapter for me! You rock!**

"Winter! Stop!" Ruby shouted. She activated Crescent Rose and crouched, ready to spring. Just as she was about to propel herself in front of Guts, Jaune stopped her.

"Ruby, no!" He grabbed her shoulder, pulling her back. She glared at Jaune, visibly angry. The old Jaune would have whimpered away and let her go on, but after the attack on Beacon, he didn't want another friend dying.

"Let him handle this," Jaune said firmly. "Now's a good chance to see how he fights. We may be able to use it to our advantage if he betrays us."

Ruby's anger faded. Jaune was right. Why take an attack for someone she wasn't even sure she could trust? No. Ruby would help anyone, if they were in trouble. But they never had gotten a good chance to see Guts fight.

Sighing, she stayed in place and watched Guts and Winter. Nora came up behind her. "Don't worry!" She said. "If he gets hurt, we can all go in there and break her legs!"

"No, Nora," Ren said quickly. "She's Weiss's sister. And we wouldn't want trouble. I'm sure Guts can handle himself."

Mercury and Emerald were observing the little girl.

"Why is she dressed like that?" Mercury said, jumping to another tree. "She looks ridiculous."

"Who the hell knows. Maybe she's an actual witch." Emerald said. "Let's just take her and bring her to Adam. He might know what to do. Especially if this girl is related to that sword guy the White Fang had a run in with back in Patch."

Drawing her weapons, Emerald took careful aim and pulled the trigger.

A bang in the distance startled a flock of birds into flight. As they took to the sky, Winter charged a Glyph at her feet. Guts immediately drew his sword and moved to her side.

Winter lunged towards Guts, pointing her blade at him.

Guts brought up Dragonslayer and slashed at Winter. She barely had enough time to reposition herself while in midair so her blade collided against his. She quickly flipped around and landed on her feet, keeping her stance. She walked around, keeping her eyes on Guts.

"Tell me. Why did you destroy the cargo?" she asked, pacing around like a prowling cat.

Guts didn't answer. He charged at her, Dragonslayer behind his back. Once he got close enough, he brought it around in a horizontal slash. Winter backflipped gracefully out of reach. As soon as she landed, she rushed at Guts, aiming for his face. He just barely dodged, although the saber managed to graze his cheek.

Winter drew the blade back and thrust it again. Guts simply bobbed his head and punched her in the stomach. "Take this, bitch!" he yelled, bringing up his foot and kicking her square in the chin. Winter flew back, stunned, but managed to land on the ground. She quickly got up, the handle of her weapon beginning to spin. A dagger shot out of the handle and into her other hand. She twisted, charging up a Glyph. Guts was about to move, but suddenly, a swarm of white flew at him.

They were white birds, all jabbing at him with their razor sharp beaks. Each strike set off a burst of cold under his skin. Raising his arm, he was able to block some of the birds, before bringing around Dragonslayer and swinging it in a circle. The flock burst apart in a spray of white feathers. Guts glared at Winter, only to notice that she had a look of shock on her face and was staring in a different direction. Guts looked the same way and saw two figures standing in the distance.

One of them was a girl, not an adult, but too old to be considered a child; with short celadon hair and mocha skin. In her hands she held a familiar looking staff and pointed hat, both disconcertingly tattered-looking. The other was a boy with pointed grey hair and an equally pointed face. In his arms, he carried an unconscious girl. She had curly green hair, was wearing a tattered purple robe, and looked disconcertingly like…

Schierke.

Guts's eye widened. The two didn't say anything. Emerald threw the staff , hard, at Ruby and let the wind carry the hat out of her hands. The hat made its way to Guts, who caught it and clenched it tightly. He was very pissed off now.

"Schierke!" he shouted.

Guts dashed towards them, sword ready. However, the instant his sword made contact with the boy's head, all three shattered to pieces, as if he had broken a mirror. "Schierke!" he shouted at the pieces on the ground. He looked back at Winter, glaring.

"You fucking did this!" He accused. "If you hadn't gotten in my way, I would have been able to save her!" He charged, eye burning with white-hot fury. Winter seemed stunned, and made no move to avoid the attack. Guts surely would have run her through, if not for the small burst of red that materialized in front of him.

"Guts, stop!" Ruby pleaded. She gripped his arm. "She didn't have anything to do with this!" The small girl was nowhere near strong enough to hold Guts back, but her intervention made him pause. This allowed Ren a moment to bring Schierke's staff forward. There was a note tied to it.

Sheathing his sword and gritting his teeth, Guts ripped the note from the staff and read it.

"Come to Vale and we can talk for the girl…" Ruby read aloud over his arm. She looked up at Guts. His face was a twisted tangle of emotions-rage, sadness, and concern, all at once. "We can get her back," she said.

Guts shut his eye and looked away.

"Just what is going on out here?" A new voice complained.

Every head shot up. Two new figures were stomping towards the group-an austere looking man with white hair, a white mustache, and an impeccable white suit, and a young girl, presumably his daughter, who was just as pale.

"Weiss!" Ruby cheered.

Weiss stared, clearly shocked. "R-Ruby?" Before she could say anything else, the red girl had pounced on her partner. Now reunited, they were on the ground, laughing, oblivious to the glares of the older man.

"Winter," he said sternly. "I thought I ordered you to take care of this man."

Winter hung her head, silent.

It was then that Weiss noticed Guts. She pushed Ruby off of her, brushed the snow off her clothes, and spoke. "Who in God's name is that, Ruby? And why is he with you?"

Ruby's scratched her head awkwardly. "Ehh. Well, you see… his name is Guts, and, umm… He's kinda lost and not from around here and he needs to speak with my uncle Qrow who should be in Haven, but then we couldn't get to Haven, only here...So then we came here to see if you could come with us, but it looks like now that little girl is in Vale, and we need to go there to save her before we can get to Haven…Soo yeah."

Weiss just stared blankly at her partner. She suddenly caught sight of Ren, Nora, and Jaune. "And why are you with them?" She demanded.

Ruby cowered. "Uwahh! They came to my house and since I didn't have anyone to travel with and they were missing a person and-" She was cut off when Weiss' father interrupted.

"You! Black Swordsman! I will have you arrested for trespassing and destroying my property! Winter, have your men place him under arrest!" he ordered.

Winter shook her head. "I cannot do that, father," she said softly.

Her father huffed. "And why not?" He snapped. "Are you defying me?"

"She knows that I'd just kill your men," Guts interjected. "She's not defying you; she's trying to keep your men alive."

Winter looked at Guts, who was glaring at her. "Sir. I apologize. I didn't mean to have your daughter kidnapped." She bowed her head. "I can have a Bullhead arranged to take your group to Vale, and can also send search parties to rescue her."

Winter's father growled, mustache bristling. Without a word, he turned on his heel and walked away. Weiss watched him go. "That's strange," she muttered.

No one seemed to hear her. "We'll take it," Jaune said determinedly. "We need that Bullhead now. Guts? Are you ready?"

Guts nodded. "...Yeah. But don't send out a search party. It'll cause more attention."

Winter nodded and pulled out her scroll. Tapping on it a few times, she gestured to the house. "The ship won't be ready for a few hours. Please, come in. Clean yourselves up and have a meal. It's the least I can do."

"Alright! I'm starving!" Jaune said as they walked inside.

"Me too! I could eat a million horses right now!" Nora said.

The group stepped inside and was instantly filled with a sense of awe. The house was impeccable and stately-clean white walls and elegant arches, silver trim, paintings done in royal colors and weapons and trinkets wrought of the finest materials. "Whoa! Weiss, it's like a castle in here! How do you not get lost!?" Ruby asked, observing every trinket they came across.

Guts was impressed to say the least. This house reminded him of a standard castle in Midland. Big walls, long halls and paintings of people he didn't care for. They headed up the stairs and were walking down a hallway with many doors. "Each room has a bed and a bathroom with necessities. Please stay here until dinner is ready." Winter said crisply, before turning on her heel and walking away.

Jaune opened a door and looked inside. It was like they were in a fancy hotel. The bed was enormous, with luxurious sheets and blankets. The television on the wall was big and also standard for every room. The bathroom was bigger than average, with enough space for a tub and a separate shower.

"Hehe. Wow Weiss. I wasn't expecting this." Jaune said, keeping his sight on the room. "It looks to fancy to touch."

"Well, you are in the Schnee residence. What did you expect?" Weiss said proudly.

"Welp! Ren and I taking this room! Get out!" Nora said, pushing everyone out and shutting the door.

"Sheesh Nora!" Jaune complained, regaining his balance. "Welp, I guess I'll take this one." Jaune pointed across the hall and entered his room.

"I'll take here," Guts told the two girls opening the door next to Ren and Nora's room.

"Oh!" Ruby exclaimed. "Guts do you need help with knowing how to use the-"

"No. I should be fine." he said, letting a soft smile.

Ruby was shocked. That was the first time she had seen him in such high spirits. "Well, okay then. See ya later!" She chirped.

Guts entered the room and shut the door.

"That man is strange," Weiss commented as they walked down the hall.

Jaune opened the bathroom door, releasing a cloud of steam. "Ahh," he sighed, walking out in nothing but a towel covering his lower half. He pulled on his clothes, latched on his armor, and observed himself in the mirror. He brushed his chin and smirked at his reflection. A hot shower was much needed after days of being in the cold. Grabbing his sword and sliding it onto his hip, he walked out the door and into the hall. He heard Nora's voice coming from the other door and knocked on it.

"Come in," Ren answered. Jaune opened the door and walked in the room. Ruby and Weiss were sitting on the chairs while Ren and Nora were on the bed. "Hey Jaune! We were just catching up!" Nora greeted.

Jaune smiled. The sight of all his friends united again warmed his heart. Sure, some were missing, but this would have to do. Jaune stayed standing as the group continued the conversation.

"So Weiss! How have you been?" Ruby asked.

"Well, I've been fine, of course. But what about all of you? I didn't expect you to be fighting in the garden of my house." The last part came out in an annoyed, huffy tone.

"Well actually Weiss..." Jaune trailed off. The group turned to face him. "We were headed to Haven. Ruby's uncle gave us a lead on the people who attacked Beacon. And we wanted to know if you wanted to come with us."

Weiss's expression darkened. "Sorry. But I can't.."

"What! Why?" Ruby asked worriedly. "Weiss, we need all the help we can get! We need your abilities and your skill!"

Weiss sighed. "My father won't let me. And I highly doubt that I would be of much use. That big man should be more than enough, shouldn't he?" She titled her head, a curious look spreading across her face. "Who exactly is he, anyway?"

Guts walked out of the bathroom in his own room. Taking a hot bath was refreshing. It took him a bit to figure out how the knobs worked, but it had all been worthwhile in the end.

Once he was dry, Guts began storing his weapons. On the small table in the corner, he laid out his throwing knives and mini bombs. He placed his armor in a chair next to that. His sword was left leaning against the wall. If it was in a glass case and put on display, it would look natural in the big house; as if an old ancestor once wielded it. He began to tinker with the television. It was interesting, but after a while of searching for something decent, he grew bored of it. Tossing the remote onto the bed, he gathered his things and walked out the door in search of his group.

The atmosphere in the room grew tense. "Well…" Jaune began. "He needs to speak with Ruby's uncle. He said he's from a different continent and all, but I'm starting to think he's from a whole other world. On the boat we took, his bag fell and some of his stuff fell out. It was weird."

"What kind of stuff did he have?" Weiss asked. "He seems like an amazing fighter. Maybe better than Pyr-" She snapped her mouth shut.

She noticed the depressed expression on Jaune's face and hastened to correct her mistake. "Jaune, I'm sorry. I-"

He held up his hand. "It's fine. This is why we're going to Haven. To find the people who did it." He smiled tightly at Weiss.

"Anyway," Weiss said hastily, eager to change the subject. "What stuff did he have on him?"

Jaune's head perked up almost at once. "Oh yeah! He had a weird egg! It was red and warm… I think it also had a nose on it."

"Okay, I am officially creeped out!" Ruby admitted. "He has weird gear. Doesn't know about a lot from Remnant. And his sword doesn't change into anything!"

Jaune heard a footstep outside the door. He walked to the door and opened it, only to see the man they were talking about looking into the room. Jaune gulped. "U-uh. Hey, man." he stuttered weakly.

"Hey," Guts said. His teeth were clenched, his jaw set in a harsh line. "I guess none of you trust me."

The group all cringed at how loud they had gotten, and the fact that the very person they were gossiping about was near them. Walking into the room, Guts sat on another empty chair.

"Give us answers," Ruby suddenly demanded. "We should know who you really are. Where you're really from. Especially if you're going to be traveling with us. If you don't tell us, we won't have you."

Guts sighed heavily "...Fine, but beware. You won't like it," he warned, as a last effort to avoid talking about his past.

None of them showed any signs of backing out.

 _"Great. Even in this world I'm still being haunted by him. Having to talk about it to some group of kids."_

"As Jaune already suspected, I'm not from this world." Their brows were slightly raised.

Before anyone could interject, Guts continued. "I somehow ended up here while walking through a meadow. The world I'm from is called Midland. As you can tell now, where I'm from, I don't have all your new technology and weapons. Not even Dust."

Their expressions were still the same. But Jaune blurted out a question. "So, are you from the past? Like, a long long time ago?"

Guts shrugged. "...Sure. I guess."

"What about your scar? On your neck? And your arm. Why do you have a prosthetic? And what happened to your eye?" Weiss asked.

Guts brushed his fingers over the brand, still able to recall the searing pain he felt on his neck the moment he got it. He brought his hand up to his face. "Even if I told you… You wouldn't believe me. I've been to hell and back. There are no gods. Only demons."

Jaune practically oohed as he heard those words. "Badass," he whispered to himself.

"Tell us," Ren said.

Guts sighed. "Back when I was younger, the kingdom was split into mercenary groups. I went around serving whoever would pay, for as long as I can remember. I have been killing all my life."

The group paid close attention, hanging off of every word. Even Nora, usually so distracted, was listening intently.

"Eventually, this group recruited me. They were called the Band of The Hawk. Led by a man named Griffith." He spat out the name through gritted teeth. He had already given up his dream of chasing revenge, but with a friend of the God Hand in this world, he knew Griffith was somewhere close by.

"I joined them, and got to know them for three years. They were the first friends I ever had." The faces of Judeau, Corkus, Pippin, Rickert and Casca came to mind.

 _"Casca…"_

Guts shook his head, as if to clear it. "Over the years, we quickly rose to the top. We won every battle we faced and were recognized as the main army for Midland."

"One day, I wanted out of the Hawks. I talked to Griffith and he wouldn't let me go. So we fought. I won, and was able to resign myself from the Band."

He got more than one confused look at that. "Why did you leave?" Jaune asked. "From the sound of it, it seems like you liked the Hawks."

"I just wanted out. It was fun while it lasted, but it wasn't my style. I left for a year, but while I was gone, Griffith made a bad decision. I don't know the details, but the king took offense...which led to him being tortured."

Ruby and Jaune grimaced. "H-how bad did he e-end up?" Jaune asked, trying to hid his fear, but failing to do so.

Guts, like a shark scenting blood, honed in on this fear and continued. "Worse than you can imagine. He couldn't walk, talk, hold a sword, or even stand up. His tendons were severed, his muscles had wasted away, and his tongue was cut out. He was nothing at that point."

They all seemed to cower a bit. Weiss and Ren alone managed to keep straight faces, but Guts could see that even they were close to cracking.

"After we got him out. He did something that I'll never forget." Guts's anger was building. It didn't burn as much as it used to, but it was still there. He reached into his bag and pulled out the Behelit.

"He used this." He held it up. "It's called a Behelit. The owner can use it when they're feeling complete despair, or on the verge of death. They will be transformed into a powerful being, a demon-at the cost of what they love and who they are."

"A sacrifice?" Ren asked.

Guts nodded. "Yeah. Like that. I found him in a pond holding a Behelit like this one."

"What happened after that?" Jaune asked hesitantly.

"We were transported to another dimension. It was everything you thought hell would be. It was hell-mountains of bodies, enough blood to drown the world, things you couldn't dream of in your worst nightmares. We were branded-all of us-marked as sacrifices for demons." Unconsciously, he scratched at his brand. "My comrades were eaten alive by demons. I remember one of my friends was split in half right in front of me. I tried to fight, but one of the bigger ones caught my arm in its mouth. And the only way to escape was for me to cut it off myself." He pocketed the Behelit again.

"And my eye? I'd rather have your scar." He looked pointedly towards Weiss. "It was gouged out by a demon. I got pinned to ground trying to kill that bastard. He betrayed us. Left us as demon food to chase his dream."

At this point, the teens were understandably freaked out. Jaune was holding his knees and shaking in his seat; next to him, Ruby was cowering with her hood over her head. Ren managed to keep his usual calm face, but his eye was twitching slightly. Nora was hiding behind Ren, and Weiss's face was like a mask of glazed ice-thin and ready to crack.

Everything was silent for the most part. They were all speechless after what they just heard.

"Thank you… for telling us." Ren broke the silence. "Now we can trust you."

Guts felt a slight pang of guilt at that.

 _"I never mentioned Casca."_

"What about you guys?" He said quickly. "You said your school was attacked. But what happened exactly?"

They were all silent. They all didn't want to think about it but it wouldn't be fair to Guts if they didn't tell him. Everything Guts had mentioned did make the school attack seem like it was nothing.

"The Grimm," Jaune began. "They were too strong, and there were so many."

Guts chuckled. "You think the Grimm are strong? That they can end the world? You haven't seen anything. All the shit I've seen in my world make the Grim look like child's play."

Ignoring his statement, Jaune continued.

"The White Fang was also there. They were releasing Grimm and then the Atlesian Military robot things started attacking innocent people! Everyone was trying to get to safety. People were hurt and dying. There was a woman, who killed our headmaster."

They were silent for a moment at the mention of Ozpin.

"He was strong, and if she was able to take him out. She had to have been really strong." Jaune recalled. "And not just him...this woman also k-killed-"

"Cinder...It was Cinder!" Ruby yelled out.

 _"Could she be the one I dreamt of? The evil in this world?"_ Guts thought.

Ruby slammed her hands on the desk. "If I wasn't so slow I could have helped her!" Despite her clearly making an effort, her eyes were swimming with tears. "It's all my fault!"

Guts looked around. The group was suddenly much more somber. Weiss put her hand on Ruby's shoulder. "No, Ruby. It's not your fault," she comforted. "No one could have helped her, not in that fight." The younger girl cried into her shoulder, muffling her voice.

"Helped who?" Guts asked. "Who is 'she'?"

Jaune sniffled slightly, drawing Guts's attention. "She was, um...She was my p-partner." He swallowed hard, then spoke again, emboldened. "And an amazing fighter. She taught me a lot. Taught me how to become a better fighter, and helped me with my...girl problems." He cringed at the last part. "She did all of that for me, when I didn't know that she had feelings for me. And when I realized it, she was already gone. Her name was Pyrrha. She was the kindest person to be around and she always had encouraging things to say."

"And that Qrow guy," Jaune continued, wiping the tears in his eyes, "he gave us a tip. That whoever was behind this was in Haven. That's why we're headed there. And then you just happened to come along and join us."

There was a moment's silence. Guts abruptly rose from his seat and headed towards the door. Before opening it to leave he turned his head. "Even if she's gone, you have to keep going. Don't get sad about this anymore. She probably wouldn't want it. You just have to get up and keep moving." They were silent for a moment before Guts continued.

"Keep moving forward."

Guts opened the door and left the room. The rest of them sat in silence for a moment, thinking about his words.

Finally, Weiss broke the silence. "Come on. Dinner will be ready soon," she said, standing up.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey all. Sorry for the long delay. But got this chapter up thanks to my lovely Beta Editor! Thanks!**

 **Enjoy this chapter!**

 **I do not own RWBY or Berserk.**

The next morning, the group made their way to the dining hall. It was a large room, stately and ominous, with a long, white-clad table in the center. Laid out across the pristine cloth were all manner of elegant utensils: china plates, silver cutlery, crystal glasses, and delicately embroidered napkins. In the center were silver serving dishes, holding roasted meat, elegantly sliced fruits, and oatmeal garnished with caramelized apples.

The group sat down at various spots at the table. "No pancakes, Weiss?" Nora whined. "Lame!"

Weiss hummed noncommittally at her remark, but otherwise ignored her.

"Where's Guts?" Nora asked, looking around. "With this amazing smell, it can't be hard to find the table!" She began to fill her plate, piling it high with the various foods, salivating with an almost indecent enthusiasm.

As if that had summoned him, Guts walked through the door. He examined the room, taking in the elegant, if somewhat cold, architecture. "Fancy," he muttered. He sat down, taking a deep breath, seeming to drink in the aroma of the food in front of him. Following Nora's earlier lead, he grabbed a little of everything and began to eat.

He had just begun to reach for seconds when Winter walked in the room. "Hello, everyone," she greeted, taking a seat across from her sister.

Ruby, Weiss, Ren, Nora, and Jaune all greeted Winter, but Guts paid no attention to her.

"The Bullhead will be ready after breakfast." She looked at Guts pointedly. "You are headed to Vale, aren't you?"

Guts refused to make eye contact. "Yeah," he answered, taking a particularly savage bite of meat.

There was an awkward silence. Weiss cleared her throat loudly. "I wish I could join you, Ruby. I'm sorry that I can't," she apologized.

Ruby smiled sympathetically. "It's fine, Weiss. Really!"

There was another pause, filled only with the sounds of scraping silverware and chewing. Finally, Winter spoke, aiming her question at Guts. "Sir, if you don't mind me asking, who was that girl?"

"She's…" Guts trailed off. "Shit, what should I say? I can't let them know she's a witch, but I need to make sure I have a reason to be worried about her. Daughter, maybe? Yeah."

"She's my daughter." he finally said.

Winter raised her eyebrows incredulously. "Daughter, you say? Forgive me for saying so, but she dresses very...peculiarly." She gestured to the hat and staff at Guts's side. "Those clothes, why does she…?"

Guts was getting annoyed at Winter's constant questioning. Not to mention this is her fault anyway. "Why don't you mind your own damn business," he said through gritted teeth.

Winter started, her mouth hanging half-open for a fraction of a second before snapping shut with a click. Wordlessly, she went back to her food.

After they finished their breakfast, Winter escorted the group to the small airfield not far from the mansion. It had a simple runway and a hangar off to the side. In the center, a Bullhead was being readied. Resources were being packed into the cargo bay and men were scattered around, doing simple tune ups.

Winter came to a stop in front of the Bullhead, hands clasped crisply behind her back. "Here you are. This ship will take you to the outskirts of Beacon. Atlas soldiers will be there to lead you to the safe zone in Vale. General Ironwood and some staff from Beacon are there as well."

The group nodded in agreement, save Guts, who still looked irritated (which, or course, he was).

"Are you sure you don't want me to call a search party?" Winter asked again.

Guts shook his head. He didn't want to speak.

Winter nodded. "Stay safe, everyone. I heard the White Fang are still lingering around Vale."

"Don't worry! With the military there, it should be safe!" Ruby said.

Weiss stepped forward, ally frigid eyes on the verge of melting. "Ruby…" She began. "I don't know when I can see you again. So take these." Weiss handed Ruby a few magazines with elemental symbols on them. "I had them fitted for your scythe, but I never got a chance to give them to you. Please be careful."

"Thanks Weiss! These should come in handy!" Ruby slipped away the magazines into her pack. She smiled, before leaping at her partner and enveloping her in a hug.

Weiss stumbled. "Gah! Ruby, get off! You dolt!" she scowled. She shoved Ruby off.

The sight of them together brought warm smiles to their friend's faces.

"I guess we're off then. Thanks for the stuff Winter." Jaune said.

Winter nodded cordially. "It was the least I could do." She looked at Guts. "By the way, I never got your name."

Guts paused. After a moment, he cleared his throat. "... I'm Guts," he said begrudgingly.

Winter nodded respectfully. "Well then, Guts. Farewell. I hope you reunite with your daughter."

With that, the group boarded the Bullhead and got settled in.

Guts hated flying. Admittedly, this was his first time; but so far he wasn't enjoying it. He was powering through the worst of the symptoms, but Jaune was dangerously green. Guts had to clench his eye shut and keep his head almost between his knees in order to avoid the same fate.

Ren, Ruby, and Nora watched them, worried. "Uh, should we help them?" Ruby asked.

"Nah, They'll be fine! Jaune did this all the time, and he pulled through!" Nora said.

"Ughh," Jaune groaned. "A few hours of this…"

"Goddamnit. I won't be able to focus like this." Guts thought. Coughing, he looked up and stared out the window in an effort to focus on something other than his churning stomach. It was dark outside, and there were heavy snowflakes hitting the windows. Pulling himself together, he rose, paused to let his stomach settle, and paced around. He was stopped when Ruby spoke.

"Hey, Guts. I have an idea of where we could go to get your daughter."

Guts's head snapped to face Ruby. "What is it?"

Ruby scratched the back of her head. "Well... I think the White Fang has her. You remember the group that attacked that village?" When he nodded, she continued. "They have a bunch of hideouts, so it won't be easy. But when we reach that safe zone, I can ask General Ironwood if he knows anything. And from there, we can start to search the places he tells us about. And if that doesn't work, we could also check out a few warehouses where my team and I ran into them before."

Ruby's enthusiasm surprised Guts for a moment. He wasn't used to people being so open to helping him.

After a moment, he nodded. "Alright. But this damn storm needs to clear up. And if I don't stop feeling like shit, I might end up like Jaune." He glanced at the blonde, who was still dry-heaving in the corner.

Sitting down, Guts closed his eye, trying to get some rest. He kept an ear open to listen if anything important was happening, but all he heard were Jaune's chokes.

The engine of the Bullhead kept roaring as Ren looked up from his scroll. His teammates were all asleep. Sighing, he stood up and began walking.

After a few minutes, he found an area of the ship that was large and relatively empty. Drawing his blades, Ren took a stance and began to practice. Kick, slice, jab, flip-he leaped and twisted through the air like a whirling dervish.

"I need to get better!" he told himself.

Sweat was trickling down Ren's body. He focused his Aura and concentrated. He remembered seeing that boy with the gray hair. Reading his movements during his fight with Yang. And if what Ruby said was true, that he was incredibly dangerous. He could have killed Ruby and Yang with ease.

Ren leaped into a spin and threw out half a dozen rapid kicks.

"I won't let another friend die."

He sat down, exhausted. He let out a long, heaving breath. Sweat trickled down his face. The sound of footsteps startled him, but when he turned around, it was only Guts, watching impassively.

"What's got you so worked up?" He asked.

Ren looked up at Guts. Panting, he brushed his hair aside and stood up.

"Nothing. I was just practicing. Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

Guts shook his head. "No. It's fine."

Ren nodded, waited for a moment, then spoke. "So...Your old world..."

Guts raised his eyebrow at him.

"What was it like? I imagine from what you told me that it was pretty brutal."

Guts looked away. "Yeah, it was. People killed left and right. A battleground." He looked back at Ren, his eyes glinting with bloodied memories. "Although, maybe it isn't too different from this one."

Ren didn't respond, but looked Guts up and down. Scars littered across his body, the type of gear he carried, and of course, his missing arm. Somehow, he didn't think their worlds were all that alike.

"Miss Schnee?" A servant called. Weiss looked up from her scroll. It wasn't Klein, like she'd hoped-rather, a commonplace made in a crisply pressed uniform.

"Yes?" she answered.

The maid placed a hand over her chest and bowed slightly. "Your father is requesting that you meet him in his office."

Weiss grunted. "Of course. I will be on my way."

The maid bowed and left, leaving Weiss alone. What could Father possibly want now? Sighing, she stood from her seat and left the room. After a long and coldly silent walk, she reached the door of her father's study. After a moment of brief hesitation, she knocked.

"Come in," a deep voice called from the other side. Weiss turned the knob and entered the room.

The room was as pristine and severe as always. The walls were lined with bookshelves, and in the middle of the room was a large desk. Sitting behind the desk was Weiss's father, dressed in a crisply pressed white suit that matched his slick white hair and well-trimmed white mustache.

Weiss approached the desk, waiting for her father's command. It was always the same thing. "Weiss, how do you expect to lead this company? You weren't the leader of your team. Train harder or you will fail me and this family. Always study. I expect you to never fail a test." It drove Weiss mad and that is what caused her to go to Beacon. Away from her father.

"What is it, father?" Weiss asked properly.

Jacques Schnee templed his fingers. "That girl in the red cloak. She is the one who was made team leader, yes?"

Weiss hesitated. "...Yes, she was."

Her father's expression was unreadable. "Interesting. And what about that larger man, with the sword? Do you know of him?"

"Guts? Was that his name? He said he came from a different world."

"No, I do not."

Jacques Schnee stared at his daughter for quite some time. "I do hope you aren't lying to me, Weiss."

Weiss suppressed the urge to swallow, and looked her father in the eye with the steeliness expression she could muster. "I'm not lying."

Jacques paused for a moment, then nodded. "I see. Carry on then. It's time for your training."

Weiss nodded and quickly left the room. So quickly, in fact, she didn't see her father pull out his scroll.

If she had stayed, she would have seen him send out several messages concerning the Black Swordsman, and how dangerous he was. About how he was a threat to Atlas and must be dealt with harshly.

Messages to Ironwood, as well as the White Fang.

Jacques set his scroll down on his desk and templed his fingers, mustache quirking up into a crooked sort of smile.

The door to the White Fang's warehouse burst open, revealing Mercury and Emerald. Mercury was currently carrying an unconscious girl.

"Who the hell's the kid?" a grunt asked, setting down the box they were holding.

"She's a part of our new plan," Mercury answered, smiling lightly.

Emerald sat down heavily in a nearby chair. "Don't ask about the outfit. We don't know where she came from or who she is. Just toss her in the cell."

"Aye aye captain," Mercury said, walking off with the little girl.

There were about a few dozen White Fang members in this part of the city. Adam had split them up after the attack, to cover multiple parts of Vale at once. Adam left for Menagerie to gather some things. But with the White Fang on the wanted list, he knew he would also have to lay low. As such, he boarded a boat secretly and left a few days ago.

Mercury reentered the room. "Alright, the kid's all locked up. What do we now?" he drawled.

Emerald growled, annoyed. "We wait. And if the military shows up, we fight and then run. Simple."

Off in a different part of the warehouse, Schierke woke up. She groaned at the headache threatening to split her skull and blinked groggily. Once her vision cleared up she looked around the room she was in. It was full of strange things that she had never seen before. She also noticed her hat and staff were missing.

She quickly panicked, scrambling around the cell in a search for her things. When they were nowhere to be found, she scrunched in a ball and whimpered, squeezing her eyes shut.

"What do I do?"

The snowstorm had cleared, for the most part. The ride was much smoother, which only led to Guts falling asleep. He didn't dream this time, but he went wide awake when a small, panicked voice started talking to him.

"Guts! Help me! Where are you!?"

Guts sat bolt upright, eye wide. "Schierke! You're alright! I'm coming to get you. Do you know where you are?"

The young witch sounded frantic. "No. But I'm in some cell."

Guts took a moment to compose himself. "I think you're in a town called Vale. I'm headed there now with some people to help bust you out. Can you use your magic?"

"No..I-I...My stuff is gone. Mistress's hat that she made for me...And my staff! They're gone!"

Guts head the little girl sniffling. Ever since Flora had died in the fire back in their world, Schierke held her personal things with more care and looked after them herself, occasionally letting Farnese wash them.

"It's okay. I have your hat and staff."

"Y-you do!? How did you find them?"

"The people who took you dropped it off to me. They had a note that said to come to them. Don't worry. I'll get you out and we can go home."

Schierke didn't answer. The two-way telepathy cut off, leaving only the roar of the Bullhead's engines.


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello everyone! I am back with a short chapter! Sorry for the long delay but the story is NOT dead! Thanks to editor and I hope you enjoy**

The Bullhead touched down soon after the transmission cut out, a fact that Guts was grateful for: he was anxious to get a move on. But first, they had to make a few stops. The Bullhead landed on a large landing pad, surrounded by a squad of heavily armed men and turrets, all keeping guard for any Grimm.

The crew walked off the ship, only to be greeted by the head himself, General Ironwood. He was a tall man with broad shoulders, a lightly shaved beard, and a somewhat messy but still decently respectable mop of greying hair. He was dressed in his usual white suit, pressed to perfection. "Miss Rose!" He greeted warmly. "Winter told me about your arrival."

"Oh, yeah! Hello, Mister Ironwood!" Ruby replied, giving a dorkish salute.

Ironwood ignored the salute and continued to speak. "I wanted to say, you and your team fought admirably in the battle for Beacon. All of you."

He looked at the rest of the group, stopping when he got to Guts. "Hello sir, you must be Mr. Guts? Am I correct?"

Guts looked at Ironwood. "Yeah," he said flatly. "Just call me Guts."

Ironwood nodded, turning towards the Beacon tower in the distance. "As you can see, Beacon tower is still crawling with Grimm. During these few months, we've been trying to rebuild the city while taking back the school. We've run into some problems though."

Jaune stepped forward. "What kind of problems?" He asked nervously.

Ironwood sighed. "The White Fang. We know that they're still here, and were also responsible for the attack. Right now, our top suspect is Adam Taurus."

"Sir! Me and my group would like to investigate!" Ruby piped up.

Ironwood turned to her, raising an eyebrow. "Why in the world would you want to tangle with them again? Wasn't last time enough?"

Ruby gave an awkward laugh, remembering when her team had fought them under the bridge, causing one of the pillars to collapse. "Ehh..." She shook her head, as if to clear it. "That doesn't matter, sir. We have to stop them."

Ironwood gave a small chuckle. "I suppose I can't stop you." He gestured to the group. "Come with me. I can tell you all you need to know about the White Fang currently acting in the area."

After a bit of walking, Ironwood led the group to a large tent set up in the middle of the safe zone. Around it were other barracks, surrounded by other soldiers.

"We're trying to evacuate as many people as possible," Ironwood said as they entered. "Some places still aren't safe."

There was a standing board set up in the tent, covered with pictures of of different people. Underneath each picture was the personal information of the subject. Ironwood walked up the board and gazed at it, the group watching awkwardly behind.

"This man-" he pulled off a picture from the board and handed it to Ruby. "-is Adam Taurus."

The group gathered around the picture. The person depicted in it couldn't have been older than twenty. He had spiky red hair and bull's horns; any other discerning features were hidden behind a white and red mask, save his mouth, which was scowling.

Guts looked at the picture for a moment, then glanced back up at the board. Three pictures caught his eye.

One of them, the clearest, was a young woman, with black hair and amber eyes. Two more pictures were hung up, both blurry and somewhat out of focus. One of them was a teenage girl with green hair and mocha skin, and the other was a teenage boy with grey hair.

Both of them were...familiar.

"Right now," Ironwood said, "Adam is our highest priority. We're working to find him and get all the information we can. After Roman's death, we really have no other leads."

Jaune tore his gaze away from the picture. "Where should we start?"

"Here." Ironwood pointed to an area on the map. "At the warehouse district where Miss Rose ran into them earlier in the year."

Jaune looked at the group. "Alright then. Let's head out."

...

Off on the distant island of Menagerie, Sun awoke to a stabbing pain in his chest. He groaned, putting a hand to his head. "Wha-"

He sat up slowly, still somewhat woozy, and looked around the room. It was Blake's house; more specifically, the same room he had been staying in for the past few weeks. Beside him was a small coffee table set with snacks and a tea set, and next to it was a slouched figure. It was Blake, fast asleep.

Sun smiled. "Blake...hey..." he said softly.

Blake's cat ears perked up, followed by her head. Her eyes cracked open, then rocketed wide. "Sun! You're awake!"

Sun laughed sheepishly. "Yeah…" He brought his hand up to his chest and felt the bandage. He remembered now, he and Blake has chased a spy who was involved with the White Fang. He'd gotten distracted for a split second, and then...he shuddered.

Blake's expression fell. "This is the exact reason why, Sun. Why I left everybody behind."

"W-what are you-"

Blake cut him off, suddenly angry. "I am done seeing my friends hurt because of me!"

"Blake...I-"

"Shut up!" She took a deep breath. "I think about them. Every day. Ruby,Weiss and Yang. I think about all of them, every day. Not just them, either! I miss Nora's crazy stories and Ren's cooking and even Jaune and Pyrrha. They were all my friends...and I hope they despise me for leaving."

"Blake...You don't mean that."

"Yes I do, Sun! Everyone who's tried to help me has gotten hurt. Even you… So from now on, I'm alone."

There was a long silence. Suddenly, Sun scowled. "You think you're being selfless, but you're not. You know that?"

Blake looked up at him.

"I would take a hit from that chameleon friend of your's again if it meant protecting you. And I know that Yang and everyone else would do the same."

There was a small silence before Sun continued.

"You can make your own choices, but you can't control what we want to do. And when we decide to protect you, and you don't like it? Then deal with it. We fight for you, because it's our choice."

For a moment, Blake looked completely stunned. But then, slowly, she smiled. "My hero."

Abruptly, the door to the room fell in, carrying both of Blake's parents with it. Kali got up and brushed herself off, eying her daughter guiltily. "Oh! Thank goodness he's awake!" She said, in a desperate attempt to backpedal.

Blake scowled. "Mom! What are you doing?!"

Before Kali could answer, Ghira stepped in front of her. "I needed to speak to you both."

He set down a scroll on the table. "You were right. Adam Taurus does plan to overthrow the current leader of the White Fang. I was unaware of his violent motives. And now he plans to launch an attack on Haven academy." Ghira's face became tense.

Sun shifted on the couch. "We can stop them. We just have to destroy them. For good this time."

Blake thought for a moment, before shaking her head. "No. We don't need to destroy them." She looked up. "We just have to take it back."


	11. Chapter 11

**New Chapter! Thanks Editor!**

Three months before the tournament

Ozpin was sitting in his desk, gazing serenely out the window, when the elevator buzzed open.

"Hey, Oz. You in here?" a raspy voice asked.

Ozpin turned around, taking a sip of his coffee. He kept his expression carefully polite. "Qrow? Shouldn't you be preparing for your mission?"

Qrow scoffed and took a look at the courtyard below. "You're making one hell of a decision you know that, sending me to that place," he grumbled, narrowing his eyebrows.

Ozpin didn't answer, his eyes focused on his monitor.

"I can't help but feel that something will go wrong this time around." Qrow turned to face Ozpin.

Ozpin was quiet for a long moment. When he did speak, his voice was grave. "Listen to me, Qrow. You've noticed strange behavior changes in the places you go, yes? You're right to believe something may happen. I sense it aswell, But there is a bit of hope in this."

Qrow raised his eyebrow. "Hope?" he asked. "What kinda hope?"

"I've invited General James Ironwood and his military to watch over the kingdom during the time of the festival."

Qrow glowered."You invited Jimmy?!" He snapped. "That bonehead doesn't have any idea what he's dealing with! I've seen the things she has out there! Jimmy's little planes and mechs look like child's play to her!"

Ozpin waited patiently for Qrow to finish speaking. "Inviting General Ironwood isn't the only precaution. There is another, one that might actually give us the chance we need. You are familiar with the old legend, yes?"

Qrow scoffed. "Which one? There are tons you told me about."

"The one about a man tattered in a black cloak, who traveled the land, clearing it of its evil."

Qrow took a second to think. "Think so.. rings a few bells, why is this relevant?"

Ozpin looked away. "That man is going to return, to clear the evil of this land once more, armed with his cloak and gigantic sword." He spoke as if reading from a biblical passage.

Qrow stared in confusion.

"When he comes, I want you to guide him. Make sure he gets the job done, he may be our last hope. Along with your niece, of course."

Qrow's expression went flat. "You mean we still might need her?" he snarled. "You know what happened to her mother!"

Ozpin's eyes dropped.

Qrow scowled. "I'm headed out, Oz. See ya before the festival."

Qrow turned and walked away. He entered the elevator and slammed the button almost angrily. Justs as the doors closed, he turned around and looked Ozpin in the eyes.

Ozpin already knew what he meant just by the look: "Please, don't use her."

Ozpin stood up and walked over to the window, wondering what would happen.

Current time

Qrow stood atop of an old warehouse in the destroyed town of Vale, keeping an eye out for any Grimm.

Dammit, Oz. Where are you?

For the past few weeks, Qrow had been keeping an eye on his niece and her friends as they made their journey to Haven, but he didn't expect the Black Swordsman to appear. "So that's the guy," he muttered to himself. "Black cloak, big sword. Just like Oz said."

Qrow pulled out a flask from his coat and took a long drink. "How the hell am I supposed to guide him, Oz?"

"How much farther?" Jaune asked.

The group was headed to the warehouse district, searching for any leftover White Fang members.

"We shouldn't be too far now," Ruby said. She paused slightly, gawking at her surroundings. "Wow, this place looks so different!"

The buildings around them had either collapsed or were covered in debris. Chunks of concrete, broken mech suits, and more lay scattered on the ground like abandoned toys. What once used to be a thriving business district was now an abandoned block.

"So, you and your team had a run in with the White Fang here?" Ren asked.

Ruby nodded. "Yup. We fought them here and kinda...made a mess."

They continued to walk in silence until Ren stopped dead in his tracks. He closed his eyes and tilted his head, as if trying to pinpoint something with his mind.

After a moment, his eyes snapped open. "Someone's down this alley." He pointed to a narrow entrance between two nearby buildings.

"Let's go, quietly," Jaune said.

The group shuffled in a single file line, with Ren leading them. As they got closer to the alley, they caught sight of several shadowy figures gathered against a wall. A dull engine roar filled the air, along with the faint scent of exhaust. "Hey! Pack up the rest of the boxes!" One of the figures yelled.

"We gotta get out of here, fast!" Another answered.

The two grunts entered the warehouse, leaving a third one on guard.

Ren motioned for the group to follow. They slowly made their way up to the loading bay, and snuck past.

They reached the doors to a warehouse and peeked inside. The room was empty, but evidence was present to prove that people were in it. Chairs were scattered about, along with few tables with food scraps, and a few empty crates.

There was also a small cell in the corner.

Guts went rigid. "Schierke," he hissed.

Suddenly, there was a loud clang. The group turned as one to the door, which had been kicked near off its hinges. A group of White Fang grunts were gathered outside, armed with swords and clubs. There were also two others: a young girl with mocha skin and pale green hair, and a boy with short grey hair and sharp features.

Ruby gripped her weapon tightly, teeth grit. "Emerald and Mercury," she spat. Guts grabbed the hilt of Dragonslayer, a vein bulging on his forehead.

Emerald smirked.

With a scream of rage, Ruby rushed at Emerald. Just as it was about to collide with Emerald's face, Mercury came in and kicked her blow aside. The grunts charged at Jaune, Ren and Nora.

"Go! We'll take care of them!" Jaune shouted, bringing up his shield to block an attack. The three quickly disappeared in the horde of bodies.

Ruby nodded and turned back to Mercury and Emerald. "Let's do this, Guts."

Qrow stood outside of the warehouse, debating on whether or not he should enter. It's not the kids i'm worried about… it's him.

Qrow knew his niece and her friends could handle the grunts, and even the other two kids, but he wanted more time to survey the Black Swordsman. Could he be cold enough to murder the two kids responsible for taking his daughter? Ozpin hadn't given Qrow much info about him, so now was the only chance to watch.

The fight inside the warehouse was rapidly becoming one-sided. Most of the grunts lay on the floor, broken and bleeding, leaving only a few still standing.

Guts glared at Mercury with eyes that could have melted steel. "Where is she?!" he roared.

The boy smirked and lunged forward.

Guts brought up his sword and blocked the kick easily. He swung his sword around and slashed at Mercury, who backflipped over the large blade and kicked a gunshot at Guts's face.

Guts dodged it and brought down his sword again, Mercury landed on his hands and held up his legs. The two collided with a shockwave that pulverized the ground and shook the very foundation of the building.

Guts's blade had gone clean through one of Mercury's legs, and was embedded deeply in the other.

Guts stared. What the hell?

Mercury collapsed backwards, face ashen. He clutched his leg stumps, as if trying to stop a nonexistent blood flow.

Suddenly, a small canister rolled in front of them. There was a bang and a blinding flash. When the lights cleared, only the grunts were left in the room.

Ruby darted outside, just as a Bullhead took off. Emerald was standing on the entry bay, staring at the group. As Ruby watched, the door swung shut, and the Bullhead flew away.

Back in Patch

"The work on restoring Beacon and Vale is progressing slowly. Right now, the Atlas military is helping in any way they can with relief efforts. The number one suspect for this attack is public White Fang member Adam Taurus. If you see him, do not engage. In other news…"

Yang changed the channel with the remote. Nothing decent was on the TV at the moment, and she didn't want to hear about Vale or Beacon anymore.

She sat in silence, thinking about what had happened. She wasn't mad or sad, just...pissed. Pissed that she couldn't control herself in that moment and that one of her defining traits-immense power from rage-had worked against her. She glanced her sleeve, where her right arm should have been.

At that moment, someone had burst through the door. "It's here!" a voice shouted in excitement.

Tai Yang stepped through the door, holding a cluster of bags and boxes as if he had just came back from a giant shopping spree. Yang looked over from her seat.

"What's here?" She asked.

Tai Yang set the boxes down and placed one on the table in front of Yang. It wasn't anything special, just a clean, plain silver box. "It's for you. Open it," he told her.

Yang observed the box, wondering what could be in it. Somewhere in the back of her mind, though, she already knew. She lifted the lid and looked inside. It was a silver prosthetic arm, sitting comfortably on a slab of foam.

"I had some connections and asked around, and I finally got in touch with the general himself!" Tai Yang explained. "He said you fought admirably in the battle for Beacon, and had his top people build this!"

Yang stared at the arm in silence. She had no idea what to say, or what to feel.

"Well, are you gonna put it on?" Tai Yang asked.

Yang let out a long, shaky breath. "I-I don't think I'm ready," she let out. "I'm gonna go rest for a bit, okay?"

Tai Yang had a concerned look on his face, but nodded. "When you're ready, I'll be here for you."


End file.
